Sakura’s Peace
by Bekah-chan
Summary: S+S Fic Sequel to my Card Captor fanfiction: 'What the Cards Were For' Months after Sakura's defeat of the Soul-Stealer she and her friends face a new threat. Oh, and Kero's human now! ^_^**New Chapter 17**Syaoran: "Umm... Hi?"
1. H2O

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Hi! :) Welcome to the sequel to my previous Card Captor fanfiction: "What the Cards Were For". If you haven't read that one yet, you should do so, if you want to understand this one. Note: Time-wise it's been about 6 months since the end of the pervious story.

  
  


Chapter 1:

Sakura glanced covertly down at her arms where they rested on the desk. Were they glowing? Yes, they were. *sigh* Her skin was slightly luminescent. And, Sakura knew from experience, that a 'little' glow could turn into a *big* one very quickly. How had this happened? She had deliberately used Jump Card-magic to get to school that morning, just to avoid this. A few months before, that, along with the training (and fighting) she did at night, would have been enough to keep her skin from glowing all day. Now, she had barely made it to her third class. Did this mean her power was getting stronger? ~Oh Joy~ Sakura thought sarcastically ~_More_ uncontrollable power. What Fun!~ *double sigh*

Sakura suddenly remembered that she was in science class, and quickly looked up again, hoping no one had noticed her wandering attention..... Too late.

"Sakura?"

"Huh?" Sakura met the eyes of her teacher, Ms. Stace.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Ms. Stace asked sternly.

Sakura stood politely to answer her teachers question, bowing an apology, "No. I'm sorry Ms. Stace."

The teacher gave a long suffering sigh, and decided to cut her student a little slack. It _was_ Monday after all. And they had not been going over anything new, just reviewing the periodic table of elements. To prepare for the next lesson plan.

"Just tell me what the symbol on the board means," Ms. Stace gestured to the chalkboard behind her, "then pay attention for the rest of the class, and I won't give you a detention."

"Thank you, Ms. Stace," Sakura gratefully looked away from her teacher and toward the indicated symbol.... and froze. Depicted there, almost innocently in white chalk, was the periodic symbol for water, H2O.

Eeeep!! Sakura couldn't say 'water' out loud!!! She didn't have enough control over her water magic yet! She, and the students around her, would be drenched. How could she explain something like that?!?

Sakura desperately tried to side-step the answer:

"The symbol represents two hydrogen molecules, and one oxygen molecule, Ms. Stace."

Had it worked?

"No Sakura. Tell me what it stands for."

No it hadn't. She tried again:

"H two O?"

"Sakura!!" Ms. Stace was getting annoyed, "I know you _know_ this!"

Yes, she did know it. She just didn't want to *say* it. If she did, things would get inexplicably soggy.

"Sakura, just give me the answer!!"

Sakura took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to gain some control over her Water Card-magic. "Water," she whispered, "the answer is: water." The air around her condensed into droplets, clinging to surfaces and making respiration difficult.

"Louder, Sakura," the teacher ordered, "I can't hear you!"

Sakura could feel the discussed element heavy in the air. Above her she could sense the standing water in the fire-sprinkler pipes strain against the metal. "Water," she said again, just a little louder. Everyone heard the pipes in the ceiling crack. The windows now had so much condensation, that no one could see through the glass.

Some of Sakura's fellow students ducked under their desks, glancing nervously up at the ceiling, from which the noises were getting louder. But Ms. Stace was too angry to notice that anything was wrong.

"Sakura, tell me the answer so I can hear it, or I'll give you detention for a week!!" she yelled at her, seemingly errant, student.

"Alright fine! She asked for it!" Sakura mumbled. Then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and called: "WATER!!!!"

************_KERPLOOOSSH_***********

Sakura felt a shock as she was abruptly doused in _a lot_ of cold water. She cautiously opened her eyes to take in the waterlogged panorama. Everything was drenched: Teacher, students, desks, books, papers, etc. She glanced up, then down again immediately. The ceiling was ruined. The water must have _leapt_ out of the pipes at her call. And, judging from the 3 inch water level on the floor, she must have called the possibility of water from the air for miles around the school, as well.

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on where you were standing when you looked at it, the water was rapidly draining from the room. Flowing out through the open door, it soon made a river out of the hallway. Sakura managed to grab enough control over her Card-magic to kind of *nudge* the front tide of water so that it moved down the hall, out of the entranceway, and drained into the courtyard.

~There, that should pull most of the standing water out.~ she thought.

"SAKURA!!!" Ms. Stace sputtered (water you know) angrily.

Uh-oh!!

Meeting the furious gaze of her teacher, Sakura reflected that she perhaps should not have *yelled* out the answer, that last time. (AN: Ya think? :)

"Sakura! What did you do?"

Eeep! As Sakura faced the, very real, possibility of detention looming on the horizon, she tried to look on the bright side: At least her skin wasn't glowing anymore.

  
  


Dripping Home:

*squish*

Sakura tried to ignore the wet, squishy, sensations, and accompanying noises, coming from her feet.

*squash*

Her nice woolen socks, which had just that morning, seemed so perfect for the chilly spring day, were no longer warm and toasty.

*squish*

Quite the opposite, in fact.

*squash*

Every time her foot came down, the weight on it would force some of the excess water into the surrounding shoe.

*squish*

When she lifted a foot, to take another step, the water would be sucked back into the sock......

*squash*

.... Only to be squashed out again when the foot in question was next trod upon.

*squish*

Sakura was not a happy camper.

*squash*

The rest of her attire was not faring any better than her socks.

*squish*

Her school uniform was a saturated quagmire of fabric.

*drip*

That had been incessantly dripping.

*squash*

But that should stop soon, right?

*squish* *drip*

How much water could a few yards of cloth hold?

*drip* *squash*

A lot, evidently.

*drip* *squish* *drip*

All of the students in Sakura's ill fated science class had been sent home to change............

*drip*

..........Out of their wet clothes and into dry uniforms.

*squash*

Then they were to come straight back to school and finish the day.

*squish* *squash*

Syaoran and Madison caught up with her before she left school grounds. Sakura didn't know whether to be glad for them, because they had been in different classes and missed the Science Class Tsunami. Or miserably jealous, because they were dry, and she was not. She quickly decided on the former when Syaoran took her hand in his own. It was impossible for Sakura to be miserable when holding hands with Li Syaoran.

"Oh Sakura!" Madison called when Sakura stopped to talk to her friends, "Look at you!" she tried not to laugh as she looked down at Sakura's soaked uniform. The only thing Sakura had on, that was dry, was her school blazer, which she had left in her locker that morning. And even that was starting to absorb the moisture from the wet fabric underneath. All three friends looked down at Sakura's sorry clothes then their gazes turned to look behind them at the trail of water Sakura had left in her wake.

"Everyone is saying that the pipes in the ceiling broke," Syaoran told her, "but I felt magic. So tell us what really happened."

Sakura told them the events that had occurred in class when she had tried to avoid saying the dreaded 'W' word out loud.

"Oh! Poor Sakura!" Madison exclaimed, still trying to hide her laughter, "Why don't you come over to my house later. You can bring Kero. It will cheer you up."

"I don't know Madison. I was going to do some magic practice this afternoon," Sakura admitted, "Ironically," she glanced down at her ruined school uniform, "Kero was going to try *again* to teach me control over the W-A-T-E-R magic."

"Please Sakura? I think you've had enough experience with water today. And we're going to have a full English tea."

"Why?" Syaoran wanted to know.

Madison's expression got a little weird before she answered, "I have a cousin," she said, "visiting from England. The tea is in her honor."

"English tea?" Sakura blinked. ~Since when did Madison have a cousin??~

"Yep. With finger sandwiches, cookies, and those little cakes. Kero should like that."

Well, Kero *would* like that, but..........

"Wait you never told me you have cousins in England."

"I don't have any relatives in England Sakura, what gave you that idea?" Madison asked.

Sakura and Syaoran shared a confused glance.

"But, Madison," Sakura ventured, "you just said you have a cousin visiting from England."

"Yes, I want you to meet her."

"You have a cousin........," Syaoran tried next.

"No I don't have any cousins, Syaoran."

"..... visiting you from England." he finished.

"Yes, cousin visiting from England."

It was then Sakura realized that, whenever Madison spoke of her 'cousin' her eyes went glassy, like she was in a trance. She could tell from Syaoran's expression that he had noticed the oddity also.

"So, you're saying that you have no cousins whatsoever....." Sakura clarified.

"Nope. Never have had cousins, never will. Both my parents were only children. I just told Syaoran I didn't have any. What's up with you two today?"

"....... and you want me to come meet your cousin 'visiting from England?'"

"Oh, you can come? Great! I've told my cousin visiting from England all about you! I'm sure you'll like each other." Madison looked at her watch, "I gotta go, class is starting soon. You should get a move on too, Syaoran, or you'll get a detention." Madison turned and dashed back to the school, waving to her friends over one shoulder, "Bye, Sakura! See you this afternoon."

Sakura and Syaoran, still holding hands, stood quietly (except for the *dripping* sound coming from Sakura's clothes) for a few moments after their friend left. Neither knew what to think of the situation.

"Syaoran?"

"Hmmm?" Syaoran absently gave Sakura's hand a comforting squeeze, his gaze still contemplating the door through which Madison had disappeared.

"That seemed weird to you, right?"

"Yes, it did," Syaoran now gave his Cherry Blossom his full attention. When their brown and green eyes met, his bore a serious, worried, expression, "Be careful, okay Sakura? When you go to Madison's this afternoon, be careful."

Sakura winced and closed her eyes. Madison's house had always been a safe haven for her. After her mother died, she had spent more time there than at her own home. What could have happened to Sakura's best friend that would make Syaoran doubt her continued safety there? The worst of it was, that Sakura's own thoughts had been running along the same path. She had a bad feeling about this. She recalled, from scant moments before, Madison's blank stare as she recited the tale of her 'cousin visiting from England' by wrote, like an automaton following orders.

A light touch on her face pulled Sakura out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes to find Syaoran's face only inches from her own. His hand, the one Sakura wasn't holding, was cupped softly around the side of her face, his brows were drawn together in concern.

"Sakura? Maybe you shouldn't go."

"No. Whatever is wrong, Madison is right in the middle of it. I have to go, I need to see what's going on."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered, completely ignoring the fact that Madison hadn't invited him.

"Syaoran," Sakura's hand came up to cover his own, which was still cradling her face, "I'll be okay. Kero will be with me....." Syaoran snorted at the suggestion that the stuffed animal would be sufficient protection, Sakura ignored him, "..... And I'll be careful."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"And you *will* call me, if you need me?"

"Of course, Syaoran! I know that you will always be there for me, just like I'll be there for you." They both blushed slightly at the subtle reference to their shared feelings for one another.

"You're right," he confirmed, "I will *always* be here for you Sakura." The two Card Captors gazed into each others eyes for an endless moment, both of them smiling a little and blushing. Then Sakura's knees turned to water, and she had to take a step back to compose herself before she threw her arms around his neck and never let go. Syaoran allowed her to move away, his hand dropping from her face with a light caress, but he kept his other hand clasped tightly around hers. Neither of them was ready to give up that contact yet.

Sakura looked down at their feet, trying to keep herself from blushing anymore. Her eyes examined the ever widening puddle on the pavement caused by her still dripping clothes. Which reminded her of what had happened in science class, and the odd conversation with Madison.

"We're probably just being paranoid," Sakura returned her gaze to Syaoran's face, "about the Madison situation, I mean."

Syaoran sighed, "I hope you're right, Sakura. But be safe anyway, for me?"

As Sakura nodded her assent to his request, they heard the tardy bell ring from the forgotten school behind them.

"I guess I'll be getting detention after all," Syaoran sighed again, "Just be careful, and call me later, so I know you're alright."

Sakura nodded again and Syaoran parted their reluctant fingers, "Good luck," he gave her a light kiss on the cheek, and was gone.

To Be Continued ^_^

End Note: I've just started school again, and college is *hard* so don't expect this fic to be updated regularly. I will try, but it will most likely be a week or two before the second chapter comes out. So, no flaming! And tell me how you like this chapter :)


	2. English Tea

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Hi there! *waves* Sorry that it took me so long to finish this chapter. I hope that it's worth the wait. Just a few things I need to mention first:

1. No, Madison's 'cousin' is *not* Eriol (or Elie, whatever). I clearly implied in the first chapter that the 'cousin' was a girl.

2. Again, it will be awhile between updates. College is a lot harder than it looks :)

And 3. Thanks, everybody, for all the lovely reviews. Keep 'em coming please!

  
  


Chapter 2, English Tea:

Sakura was thinking about Syaoran. It was becoming quite common for her to drop into contemplation of the Chinese warrior, out of the blue, no matter what she was doing. She could be in the middle of class and suddenly remember how nice his hair was; it was much softer than it looked. Or at a magic lesson with Kero remembering how dashing Syaoran looked when casting his lightning spell. Now she was sitting in one of Madison's family's parlors (they had at least 6, Sakura had never counted) where the maid who answered the door had directed her to await Madison. She had been sipping tea, the maid had also told her to help herself to the offerings on the loaded tea tray, when suddenly she was thinking of Syaoran's wonderful eyes *sigh* It sometimes amazed her how often she did this, and the frequency had only increased now that they were 'going out'. Not that they actually went 'out', like on dates or anything. Oh, they had *tried* dating, they really had. In the first few months after they had declared their feelings for each other, they had attempted to go out almost every weekend. But, it seemed that this aspect of their romance was not to be.

The sad fact was that the Card Capting pair could not go out on a date without running into trouble, usually of the supernatural kind. There had been a random daemon in the movie theater; A Soul-Stealer (of the smaller non-soul-stealing kind) at the amusement park; A hostage situation at the restaurant; And a possessed photo-booth at the mall. Sakura did not even want to think of the stuff that had happened to them at the park, or the ice-cream parlor *shudder* Sakura never wanted to see fudge ripple again!

With Syaoran's help, Sakura had managed to overcome all these obstacles. She had even been able to avoid having to kill any of the human bad-guys they had run amiss of, but they just kept coming! Ever since Sakura had become a 'Warrior For Peace', it was like she sent out evil-come-hither-and-try-to-kill-me vibes. And the evil did come. Sakura had never known that there was so much evil in the world, it seemed she couldn't turn a corner without bumping into a new monster bent on causing pain and destruction. In fact, 'evil' seemed to take malicious glee in ruining her dates with Syaoran It was starting to look like fate took a hand in throwing these things in her path so she could take care of them before they hurt or killed anyone else.

This had seriously messed up Sakura's budding social life. And she couldn't even really get mad about it. It was weird, but Sakura didn't feel resentful about her new 'job'. It was her duty, her task. And she was making a difference, saving lives. She wasn't exactly wildly happy about how her life was going, but she wouldn't change it. *sigh* Not even if it meant losing some time with Syaoran.

So Sakura and Syaoran had finally given up on dating. Instead they went out every night on evil-patrol. They did, however, manage to snatch kisses here and there in between pummeling the forces of evil. The fact that they were together was the only redeeming quality about their nightly ventures, the only thing that made it bearable. But Sakura had started to wonder if, in taking on the Warrior for Peace role, she had given up on ever having any peace herself.

She was distracted from her thoughts by a loud crunching noise, and smiled as she looked up from her tea. Kero was in his version of heaven. He was sitting in the middle of a tray filled with various cookies and little cakes. Well the tray *used to* be filled, Kero had already made a sufficient dent in it's contents.

As soon as the maid had left the room, Kero had been out of Sakura's bag and hovering over the coffee table with wide eyes- He didn't seem to know where to start. The Guardian finally just dove in and ate the first thing he got his little fuzzy paws on. He hadn't come up for air since.

Sakura was glad that Kero was having a good time, his life hadn't exactly been easy lately. The rivalry that had always existed, to some extent, between the Guardian's of the Sun and Moon, had only escalated since Yue had acquired his new personality. Yue took endless glee in taunting, teasing, and playing practical jokes on Kero- Who gave back as good as he got. It had been an all out war for the last few months, with Kero always coming out a little behind. Sakura found it hard, however, to feel sorry for the little flying fluff-ball. He was a participant in the 'battles' after all. And part of Sakura was grateful that Yue had focused on Kero. Before that they had *all* been subjected to his slightly malicious sense of humor. Sakura drew her brows together in thought. She really *should* talk to Yue about that. It was getting a little out of hand. It should be stopped. Even if the sight of Kero in drag *was* very amuse--

Sakura stiffed, her teacup frozen halfway on it's journey to her mouth. Her magical senses had just spiked. Something was Wrong. Some*thing* bad was coming! And it was......... Right behind her!

Her teacup clattered as she returned it to the saucer she held in her other hand, and placed both of the coffee table. She slowly turned around to look over the back of the antique couch she was seated on.

"K-Kero?" she gasped.

"What is it?" Kero sputtered around the cookie he was engaged in chewing.

"Really-Big-Bad-Scary...." she took a deep breath, "..Destroy-The-World-Evil approaching our six..."

"What?!" Kero floated over to her, stuffing the rest of the cookie in his mouth (so as not to waste it)

They both looked over the back of the couch, eyes glued to the figure they could see walking down the hall towards them, at Madison's side. It looked like a little girl, maybe six or seven years old. Her dress was made of a blue and white checked fabric, dotted with way too many ribbons and bows. On her feet were shinny patent leather shoes, complete with delicate silver buckles. Sakura vaguely wondered why this strange person had not left her shoes at the front door, as was the tradition, and walk around in her frilly white socks. Which had been turned down to show the tiny blue flowers embroidered at the rim. With her golden hair up in twin pigtails, curls cascading over her shoulders, the little girl resembled a young Pollyanna.

~Except for the whole 'Aura-of-Evil' thing~ Sakura thought to herself. She had never seen anything like this. She almost wished that she did not have her magical senses, for then she would only see an innocent little girl.

"Definitely Evil," Sakura commented again.

"Sakura-," She could feel Kero shudder from his vantage point beside her, "I don't think 'Evil' is a strong enough term to describe this. That thing makes the Soul-Stealer (the big soul-stealing kind) look like a cuddly puppy."

Sakura had to agree with him.

"I guess your feeling that something nefarious was going on with this 'cousin' thing, was right on the money."

Sakura sighed, "Ya, I guess so." She really had been hoping that Madison's earlier behavior had been a fluke. That was too much to hope for now. Madison was obviously being mind-controlled by an Evil Little Girl.

"Well," Kero broke into Sakura's rather gloomy thoughts, "If she gets anywhere near me, I think she'll know I'm here. My defenses against that sort of thing were never very good." Sakura turned to see his cute face sporting an expression of worry.

"So, I'd better go," the Sun Guardian continued, "I'll get everyone together and we'll meet you back at the house later."

Sakura reluctantly nodded. She knew that he had to go. They couldn't risk being recognized as a threat until they were ready to defeat this thing. Right now they knew nothing about it.

"You be careful," he gave her face a small, comforting, pat with one stuffed paw, "Use your Card Magic to hide your true self from her. Good Luck!" With that Kero swept out of the open window, swooping slightly to grab one last armful of cookies on his way.

"Ya, Bye," she said forlornly to his tail as it disappeared into the bushes.

She was on her own.

To Be Continued ^_^


	3. Madison

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long to write. Madison grabbed control of the plot for awhile, an I had to wrest it back ^_~

  
  


Chapter 3, Madison:

Madison was a little worried about Sakura. Her best friend had been acting strangely all day. First the whole cousin thing (and where *had* Sakura gotten the idea that Madison had a cousin?) Then Sakura had failed to extend Madison's invite to Kero. Even though Madison had made it clear that he was welcome, and that she and Sakura would be the only other people there. Then, as if to compensate for Kero's stunning absence, Sakura has apparently consumed a Kero-sized portion of the cookies- All by herself!! And finally, on top of all this weirdness, Sakura had been acting like someone else was in the room with them.

A few moments ago Madison had entered the parlor where Sakura (and Kero, Madison had thought at the time) where awaiting her. Sakura had politely stood from her seat and greeted Madison- Now, this is where things got strange. For, after saying "Hello" to Madison, Sakura had turned to the empty space beside her friend and said:

"Hello, Alise, nice to meet you. I'm Sakura."

Madison had quickly glanced to her side to see to whom Sakura was speaking. But she had seen nothing, no one, there. For some reason Madison could not quite focus on the space, but she was *sure* no one was there. Yet, throughout the visit, Sakura persisted in acting as if someone *was* there. Standing beside Madison, and seated beside her once Madison had taken a chair.

What was going on?

Madison briefly considered that it could be a practical joke, then she quickly discarded the idea. Recently, with all of Yue's nonsense, practical jokes had become the bane of the group's collective existence. So Madison had a hard time believing Sakura would do something like that. Next, Madison wondered if magic were somehow involved. Had a spell been cast on Sakura, making her see things that weren't there?

Madison got a sinking feeling as she considered the next option. What if a spell had been cast on Madison? To make her *not* see something that *was* there? Madison really did not like the implications of this, for there were only two reasons she could think of why someone would cast such a spell upon her. One was that it was a way to get to Sakura, but Madison didn't think that was it. It was looking like the second reason was more plausible. Her mother had warned her this might happen.

Now that Madison was aware that something was going on, she began to notice the oddities of her own behavior. She watched, as if from a distance, herself pour tea for Nobody, then ask the empty space if they wanted lemon in their beverage. That clinched it- Someone was controlling her actions. Madison's mother had been right. And she should have been more alert, she might have been able to stop it.

In any case, whatever it was that Madison could not see, Sakura certainly could. Knowing Sakura as long as she had, it was possible for Madison to tell Sakura was really worried about whatever-it-was. Sakura hid it well. To anyone who did not know her, she would appear calm and relaxed. This was a good thing. Sakura needed to avoid alerting the spell-caster that she knew something was going on. If this thing had enough control over Madison's mind so that she did not even *see* it, it was definitely too late for her to use any of the techniques her mother had taught her to get out of these kinds of situations. Sakura was her only hope now.

Madison wished she knew how long this had been going on, for then she could better judge how much time she had left. She was sure, however, that if the spell was not broken within the next few days, she would be dead.

  
  


****

Sakura:

Sakura desperately tried to act normal. It wasn't easy, and became more difficult as the afternoon wore on. By the time evening came, and Sakura knew she had to leave, she was almost frantic with worry for her friend. But she could do nothing, and finally had to go.

As she stood to depart, the Card Mistress happened to glance at her friend and caught Madison's gaze. There she saw, not the confused and blank look that had been present through the entire meeting, but eyes full of fear. Madison knew something was going on. This only made Sakura feel worse, and with a heavy heart she left her best friend trapped with a monster, and aware of her cage.

  
  


The Long Walk:

To mask her magical presence from 'Alise', Sakura had used both Shield and Illusion Card-magic. She was very skilled with both, had in fact mastered them within days, so she was able to put up her magical defenses seconds after Kero left. She used the Shield magic to veil her power; and Illusion to place a cloak of normalcy about her. Thus hiding her true self from both magical, and physical, sight.

After saying good-bye to Madison, and bidding a strictly polite farewell to Alise, Sakura had walked out the front door and down the long driveway. She was careful to leave her disguise in place while she was in sight of the house. Which was good since she could feel evil-little-girl eyes drilling holes in her back all the way down the lane until she walked past the gate and left Madison's family's grounds.

She waited a few more blocks, just to be safe, before letting her spells go. That had been close. Sakura still did not think the false 'cousin' had sensed what she was, but Alise had still acted suspicious.

~Probably because I stayed so long~ Sakura thought. Looking back she realized that she had been sipping tea with a monster for the better part of four hours. No wonder the little fiend was wary of her. She sighed. She had stayed as long as she possibly could, loathing the thought of abandoning Madison with her 'cousin'. And she did not regret it, even if it made Alise a little suspicious.

Head down, Sakura shuffled dejectedly along the sidewalk, as she tried to think of a way to save her friend. She watched her feet appear and disappear from her vision while she walked. She was forced to stop though, when another pair of feet came into view, directly in her path.

Sakura recognized the shoes, but she did not need this clue to deduce who was standing in front of her....... She always knew when he was near.

"Oh, Syaoran..." she sighed sadly, still thinking of Madison. She walked a few more steps, without bothering to look up, and felt his familiar embrace enclose her as she lay her head in his shoulder.

"Sakura....." Syaoran held her just a little tighter, "Kero told me what happened. I couldn't risk getting too close, so I waited here for you."

"I'm glad you came," she whispered, clutching onto his shirt with both hands, "I needed you."

"I'm here now," he stroked her hair comfortingly, "I just wish I could have been there with you."

Sakura agreed with him, it would have been easier to have 'tea' with Alise if Syaoran had been there. "Oh, Syaoran," she whispered again, "It was awful! Madison was like a puppet, she had almost no control over her own actions. And I had to *leave* her there!! Alone with that...th-that thing!" Sakura choked back a sob and buried her face a little deeper in his shirt.

"It will be okay, Sakura," Syaoran pulled back to look at her face, "I promise." he wiped the tears from her eyes.

Sakura had to smile faintly at his statement. He sounded so sure, so certain that they could save Madison. Sakura took a little of that certainty into herself, along with a deep breath, and steeled up her determination. Together they would rescue Madison. They had to.

To Be Continued ^_^

  
  


End Notes: Okay, now this story has been, so far, really hard for me to write. So, it will be, as it has been, a really *long* time between updates. What I need to know is: Would you guys rather--

A- I keep updating whenever I manage to actually finish a chapter. Or,

B- Wait until I have the story completely done to update again? Please review with your opinion so that I know. Thanks! ^_^


	4. The SoulBox

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Hi. I was going to finish the whole story before I posted again, but I think I write better if I have feedback for every chapter. So, here is chapter 4, and 5 is in production. Sorry this took so long. Please review and tell me what you think ^_~

  
  
  
  


Chapter 4, The Soul-Box:

  
  


The women of Madison's family had always been special, had always had a special gift. This gift really didn't have an exact definition or explanation, but Mad's mother had told her that 'empathy' was the closest they could come to describing it. It was, naturally much more than this, but their two basic talents were sensing other people's emotions and a connection to the earth. It was the latter that made their gift the most dangerous, for (given the right 'talents' of their own) others could use them to draw power from the earth. This was dangerous because the human body could only be used as such a conduit for so long without burning out, and dying.

This had not happened to one of Madison's ancestors in over a century. When they had finally developed a defense system to prevent it. The problem was- You had to *know* what was going on in order to counter it. And Madison had not known, now it was too late. She was dying.

Mad felt like crying, but she couldn't, she was not allowed. 'Alise' had brought her 'cousin' to her own room, telling her to "sit down and be quiet". Then the monster had left, going off to do whatever it was that monsters did. Leaving Madison alone, sitting in the dark of her bedroom. And 'crying' did not fit within her order of 'quiet' so Mad was denied even this comfort, at least on the outside. She was minutely consoled that her mind and thoughts seemed to still be, mostly, within her control. Although she did not know how long this condition would last, and time was short.

Sitting there, she had been able to examine the extent of the damage caused by 'Alise'. Most of her mind contained pockets of darkness left by the mental 'touch' of the monster. With only a small space, around her soul, remaining clean of the taint. This would not last long, even without Alise's presence the darkness was creeping toward the center of her being, she doubted she would last until morning. Already the flow of energy from the earth was faltering as Madison's body gave out from the strain of it. Soon her body would die and then the monster could crush her soul and receive all the earth-power it had stored up since her birth. After that Madison was not sure that even Sakura could defeat it.

But there *was* something she could do, something that would prevent the monster from getting that last burst of power, and hopefully saving her friends. Or at least giving them a fighting chance. She had one last recourse left-

The Soul-Box.

It was the final option available to her family; locking their soul in a mental box of their own creation. Then their soul was safe from evil, and everything else. Their mental magic was strong, and once the box was closed, her soul could never come out again- Her body would die, leaving her soul trapped in the box forever. Oh, it was hypothesized that, under certain conditions (and provided the body was still alive) the soul could be released from it's self-imposed prison. But Madison really didn't think it was possible, the box would be locked by her own mental pattern. Only someone using the exact same frequency would be able to open it. Not Sakura, not her mother, and (thankfully) not Alise. Once she did this, there was no going back. And she could not afford to wait any longer.

Her course of action clear, Mad set to work in the small corner of her mind that was still hers. First she created indestructible panels, then fashioned them into a box just big enough for her soul to fit in. After she was done she climbed in the box and waited before closing it. She wanted to give Sakura as long as she could to get there, she knew how guilty Sakura would feel if she could not save her best friend. So she waited as long as she could, she waited until she could sense Alise's evil energy coming back toward her. And then she couldn't wait anymore.

~I'm sorry Sakura. And Mom, I should have listened to you, I should have been more vigilant in our family's centuries old guardianship of the Earth's magic. I'm sorry. Good-Bye~ As she lowered the lid of her soul-box a single sob managed to get past the constraints of Alise's spell. The last thing Madison felt was a lonely tear of sorrow as it made it's way down her cheek. Then the soul-box sealed shut, and she felt nothing at all.

  
  


Alise:

Alise was happy. Well she would be if monsters, or demons to be more accurate, could feel such an emotion. Since they can't, perhaps the emotion would be better explained by the term 'malicious glee'. After thousands of years she would finally have revenge on the sorcerer who had bound her powers and trapped in this child's body. Finding that little empath with the earth connection had really been a stroke of luck. Soon that pathetic mortal would be dead and Alise would have enough power to carry out her plan to destroy the world.

Oh, she supposed that destroying the entire world was a little excessive. But the sorcerer who had been her enemy was dead many years past. Despite his power, he too had been a mortal, and had died like one. The gees he placed on her had prevented her from harming or killing him, or his descendants, thus preventing her revenge of any kind. But, by destroying the entire world, Alise could circumvent this complication easily: All the sorcerer's descendants would be dead, along with the rest of the wretched human race that had been the curse of her existence for far too long.

And, sure, she would be destroyed as well (AN: *whispers* psssst, Alise is a little crazy, pass it on.) But one had to make certain sacrifices sometimes, in pursuit of personal goals.

  
  


Kero (a few hours earlier):

After telling Syaoran about the situation, Kero next went to Yue/Yukito's house. He figured that he could save time that way, both of the Guardians could continue to Sakura's house together. But Oh! How wrong can the plans of men, and little magical beasts who look a kinda like mice, go?

Yukito lived in a small house he had inherited from his 'grand-parents'. He lived alone and didn't have any close neighbors. Which, incidentally, made it easy for Yue to sneak about. Kero hadn't been there very often, and only inside twice, but he knew where it was. And he had extended his aura so that Yue would know he was coming. No time to waste and all that. So he was surprised to arrive at Yukito's house and find it dark and, seemingly, empty. He tried the doorbell and yelled at the top of his little lungs, to no effect. Yet he could feel the Moon Guardian's aura within the house, so what was wrong? Had the new enemy already harmed Yue in a preemptive strike?

Frantically the Sun Guardian tried to open the doorknob with his little paws, only to find it locked. Next he flew about the house looking for an alternate route into the residence. After a few panicky moments (all the windows he tried were also locked and the house didn't have a back door) he discovered that the kitchen window was open a little. In fact it was open just wide enough for the small flying magical beast to pass through. Oh, how lucky!

Quickly, Kero dove toward the opening, while part of his brain shouted a warning, ~Wait! Isn't Yukito's kitchen on the *other* side of the house?!?~ But, alas, it was too late, for Kero didn't have time to break his forward momentum. All he could do was watch helplessly as the glamor of a bright kitchen window, with a pretty little flower box and a patten of dancing gumdrops on the curtains, faded to reveal a very solid looking brick wall.

"Yaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" **SPLAT!!**

  
  


Ouch!! 20 Minutes Later:

Through the stars and bright colored lights that Kero's stunned senses were producing, he heard a sound that was becoming distressingly familiar to him: Yue's laughter.

The poor little guardian sat up gingerly, and rubbed at his aching head. He knew that the damage wasn't permanent, or even very severe, but it *hurt*.

"Oh...Ha, ha," Yue chortled from somewhere to Kero's left, "Oh.. Th..-ha-..The *Look* on your FACE!! Ha, ha!"

"Ya, very funny," Kero said sarcastically, slowly turning his head to see his fellow guardian, catching Yue's mirth filled eyes and sending him a scathing glance. This only made the Moon Guardian laugh harder, falling over and holding his sides. His wings vanished right before he hit the ground, but Yue still looked extremely silly, and Kero wondered again at the changes that had come over the other guardian recently.

"Ya, very funny," Kero repeated, "Ha, ha. And very responsible of you in your duties. I was coming to tell you that Sakura's in trouble."

"Ha, ha.... Huh?!?" Yue sat bolt upright, all traces of laughter immediately gone from his visage, "What! How? When?"

"Don't forget 'why' and 'where'," Kero added as he tried to float off the ground. He wobbled a bit, but was able to rise high enough to look Yue straight in the eye, "Some really evil monster, or demon, or something, has a pretty heavy mind-lock on Madison. I mean total control, Mad doesn't even seem to know it's *there*. I left Sakura having tea with them."

The blood (or whatever is the equivalent for magical beasts) drained from Yue's face as he realized what he'd done. Or almost done. If Kero had been out any longer........ And Sakura was there *alone* without her guardians....... Hey, wait!

"You *left* her there!!" Yue yelled.

"I had to!" Kero yelled back, a little defensively, "There was no way I could hide my presence from something that powerful."

"Oh."

"And I don't think *you* could hide yourself either, so we're going to meet Sakura back at her place to plan."

"Oh," Yue had regained some of his color, "Well, let's go then. We're wasting time." He switched back to Yukito as he stood and started walking in the direction of Sakura's house. Kero floated along behind him, mumbling about just *who's* fault their tardiness would be.

  
  
  
  


Sakura:

Using Jump Card-Magic Sakura very carefully cleared the hedge that lined the back of Madison's vast family grounds, landing lightly on the other side. Beside her she felt Syaoran land from his own, nearly noiseless, trip over the tall bush. And Sakura knew that his landing could have been, should have been, softer.

"How's your leg?" She whispered to him, trying to keep the guilt out of her tone.

"It's fine, Sakura," he clasped her right hand in his left, "It's not bleeding anymore" ~well, not much, anyway~ "We can take care of it when we get back to the house." he paused, "And stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault...."

"Yes it was!!" she cut him off in a fierce whisper, "if I had been paying more attention instead of worrying about Madison...."

"Hey," he cut her off this time, turning toward her and pulling her gently around to face him. She could barely make out his cherished features in the darkness, but she didn't need to see him to feel his love and support for her.

"Your best friend is under the control of an unknown Mega-Evil," he consoled her, "You have the right to be a little distracted. And besides, I didn't see it coming either."

This was true, the evil-possessed duck (with many sharp teeth) had come out of nowhere, catching them both off guard. Luckily they had both reacted quickly when it got there, disintegrating it in a blast of Sakura's Fire, Syaoran's Lightning, and demented quacks of distress. The duck had only managed to get in one bite, on Syaoran's right leg, before it's imminent demise. The injury had bled pretty freely and looked nasty. But Syaoran had insisted that they continue on the reconnaissance mission. They needed as much info as they could get, as soon as they could get it, if they wanted to save their friend.

When the pair returned to Sakura's house late that afternoon, they had found Kero, Yue, and Sakura's family already in a hasty discussion about the situation. After debate, it was decided that they needed more information. So, Sakura and Syaoran had gone out, like they did almost every night, to battle evil-- Or at least to examine it very closely. Kero had warned them of the dangers of going into such a situation unprepared. Not that Sakura needed the warning, she remembered, all too well, the times when she and her friends had almost been killed do to lack of preparation on her part. She would not let this happen again, not if she could prevent it.

"Now, come on," Syaoran gave the hand he still held a tug to get her to follow him, "Let's go find out what we're up against." Together they walked through the darkness toward Madison's house.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	5. Revenge by Design

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Hi guys, *sniff* Chapter 4 only got one review *sniff* (Thank You, LightBlossom, you're so nice!) I need more REVIEWS so I know you guys are reading the story. You don't have to say much, 'Hi' will do, but it's the only way I have of knowing if anyone is reading it at all. So please REVIEW *big puppy-dog eyes* Thank You :-)

  
  


Chapter 5, Revenge by Design:

  
  


Kero was worried, and not just about his Mistress. Other than Sakura, Madison was perhaps the only other friend Kero really had. He did not like the things that Sakura had reported about the 'Alise' situation. Madison was in danger, Sakura was very likely walking toward danger right now, and Kero could do nothing, at this point, to help them.

After Sakura and Syaoran left, the rest of them made a decision to follow if they were not back in twenty minutes. But they had only just left, and there were at least fifteen minutes to go. Touya paced in the living room, Yue looked on from the couch and tried to appear like he was not worried at all. Kent just stood moodily by the window, glaring at the darkness of the night. And Kero was trying not to panic. After all, Sakura was a very powerful sorceress. She could take care of herself, right? Right??

~Snap out of it~ Kero told himself. It just wouldn't do for him to go into one of his 'flying' panic attacks right now. He needed something to distract himself.

Let's see......... Ah! Yes, he could work on his diagram. Kero quietly left the living-room and floated up the stairs toward the drawer, in her desk, that Sakura had set aside for his use. There, hidden under his little bed, was a many-times folded piece of paper. This he carefully brought out and unfolded, before spreading flat on the desktop.

Written in big letters across the top of the paper were the words: "Kero's Plans For Revenge on Yue- Phase 2" Kero picked up a pencil and went to work.

  
  


Trellis Conversations:

Sakura and Syaoran stood, hand in hand, and glanced up through the darkness at Madison's third-story bedroom window.

"I won't do it." Sakura insisted.

"Sakura, there's no other way up. We can't use magic, not this close to the enemy, and it's three stories."

"It's just too cliche. I will not climb that." The object in question was a white trellis latticework, complete with the required climbing ivy, that stretched from the ground to just even with Madison's balcony.

"I won't," Sakura insisted again, but they both knew she would. It was the only way to get to her friend, "All right, Fine!" she sighed, and tried to look at the trellis strategically. It really wasn't very wide, maybe 2 feet across, so they definitely wouldn't be going up side-by-side. So, the only question was: If they fell, did Sakura want to be the one to land on, or the one landed on? Well, Syaoran was heavier and Sakura really didn't mind the thought of landing on top of him so, "I'll go first."

"Be careful," Syaoran advised. It really wasn't necessary, but it was sweet all the same. Sakura gave his hand a final squeeze before releasing it and walking the few steps requisite to bring her to the bottom of the cliche incarnate. She sighed again and put her right foot through one of the four inch diamond shaped holes in the trellis. She leaned forward and tested some weight on her new foothold.

"It's not too bad," she reported to Syaoran over her shoulder, "For a trellis," she added, just to share her continued feelings of discontent.

"I'll be right behind you," he assured, while giving her a small smile of understanding.

"I know," she smiled in return, then faced the wall again and went about the business of climbing an ivy covered trellis to a balcony.

Things went okay at first. They were both in good shape, so the act of climbing was no problem, even accounting for the obnoxious shape of the holes. Since they were diamond shaped, one couldn't put a foot in straight, it would always tilt to the side. But this was relatively easy to get used too and Sakura had mastered the odd foot-tilting pace by the second story.

And this is where she got into trouble.

  
  


Don't Look Up:

For Syaoran the climb was frustrating for more reasons than the odd shape of their make-shift ladder. Picture this: A young man, who is very much in love, happens to be climbing directly under the object of his affection, who is wearing a skirt. Does the situation need more explaining?..... Didn't think so.

So, Syaoran, ever the gentleman, was studiously staring at the wall through the trellis and Not Looking Up. For this reason he did not notice when Sakura abruptly stopped climbing, instead resolutely keeping his eyes from the skies. Thus, it was quite a surprise to find himself staring at Sakura's ankle when it suddenly appeared in front of his nose.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he whispered up to her, trying not to think of how her practical slip-on shoes showed her ankle to advantage.

His only answer was a whimper.

"Sakura, what is it?" he tried again, louder this time.

"A..... It's a.... B-Bug!!!"

Pause

"A bug?" he asked, not seeing this as a reason for her to stop, "So?"

"It's a Big Ugly Bug, and it's staring at me," she clarified.

"Oh, I see," but he didn't. What was the big deal?

"Come kill it." she ordered.

"What?"

"It's ugly, and deserves to die."

"So, kill it."

"I can't"

"I thought it 'deserved to die'?" Did he miss part of this conversation somewhere?

"It does, but *I* can't kill it."

"Why?"

"Because, it's a Big Ugly Bug that's Staring at ME!!" she was starting to sound angry.

"Umm," he searched his mind for options, "Can you flick it away?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because that would require *touching* it," she shuddered.

"So, we're just going to hang here and let it 'stare' at you all night?" he asked.

Angry Pause.

"Syaoran, if you weren't the love of my life, I would kick you off this trellis!"

"Huh?"

"You....," She began enunciating each syllable, like she was talking to a 3 year-old, "Are Going To Come Kill It!!"

"I am?"

"Yes."

"How?" They were, after all, lined up on a skinny trellis, single file.

Silence.

"S-Syaoran," she sniffled, "It's coming closer."

Heavy Sigh. This was going to be difficult, if not impossible, to do while Not Looking Up. Hmmm, maybe he could look kinda sideways? Maybe not. Double-Heavy Sigh. Resigned to his fate, Syaoran began to, carefully, climb *over* his Cherry Blossom.

  
  


Syaoran the Bug-Slayer:

After all was said and climbed, Syaoran ended up with his arms and legs securing him to the trellis on either side of Sakura. If the circumstances were different Sakura might have even enjoyed it, it *was* kinda like a big warm-and-fuzzy hug. As it was, she just tried to stay small and out of his way.

"Okay," he said once he was level with her, "Where is this 'Big Ugly Bug'?"

"Over there," she gestured to the right with her head, trying not to notice how his breath was stirring the hair on the back of her neck.

"Sakura!"

"W-What?" He was so close she could smell him, it was very distracting.

"That's a Lady-Bug!!"

"What?" ~Oh yeah, the bug~ "So? Kill it, already."

"But Sakura, it's harmless."

"I don't care! It was staring at me. Kill it."

"Sakura, I can't kill something just because it was staring at you! How can you even tell? I can't see it's eyes!" Did Lady-Bugs *have* eyes, per say?

"I don't care, it's creepy! Just get rid of it!" She wondered how well he could hang on if she elbowed him in the gut.

"So, I don't have to kill it, as long as it's gone?"

"Sure, fine."sigh

Syaoran reached out and flicked the Lady-Bug into the night. Sakura relaxed a little.

"Thank you, Syaoran." (AN: Ding Dong the Bug is gone! :)**

"Sure, any--" he turned his head back to look at her and discovered their faces where only inches apart, "-time." Their eyes caught and Sakura started to get that tingly/dizzy feeling she experienced whenever Syaoran was close to her.

"Um, Sakura?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Shouldn't we continue?"

"Continue what?"

"Uh, Madison Rescuing, remember?"

"Oh!" Sakura could feel her face go bright red. What kind of a friend was she? Madison was in trouble and all she could think about was bugs and Syaoran! "Let's go"

  
  


Madison's Room:

Syaoran leaned against the wall to the right of the still open balcony window. He was careful not to show it to Sakura, but that climb had really been tough on his injured leg. To be honest, the leg was the only reason he wasn't still hanging from the trellis, kissing Sakura. The pain in his leg had distracted him enough so that he was able to pull out of the haze Sakura created in his mind. He could tell she was upset about forgetting Madison, even for a second. He would have to talk to her about it later.

"Madison...." Beside him Sakura whispered to try and locate her friend in the darkness, "Mad....... Mad-is-on!"

"Maybe she's not here," Syaoran suggested.

"Someone is." Sakura countered. She was right. With their magic senses they could both tell that something, someone besides them, was in that room. Something alive. But Syaoran was getting no sense of an aura at all, and that worried him. Every living being, anything that had a soul, gave off an aura. Obviously there were some soul-less things that had an aura, the possessed duck for example- But never the other way around. You had a soul, you had an aura, no exceptions.

So, whatever was in the room with them didn't have a soul.

Sakura couldn't sense auras instinctively, like Syaoran could, but she could still tell that something wasn't right. She carefully located the small night table that was by the window, and turned on the lamp she knew was there.

When the limited light of the lamp illuminated the room, they were both shocked to see Madison. She was sitting on her bed, still as a statue save for the slight motion of her breathing, and the subsequent blinking of lids over vacant eyes. A single tear track glistened wetly on one cheek.

"Madison!" Sakura gasped as she rushed to her friend. Syaoran followed at a more sedate pace, gaze warily checking the rest of the room.

"Madison!" Sakura tried again, but her friend had not moved. Not even when Sakura shook her. Something was very, very wrong here. And while Syaoran could tell that this *was* Madison, he still could not sense her aura.............. Her body was there. Her soul was not.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^

  
  


Author's Notes #2: No, I do not hate Madison. And yes, the Soul-Box thing is going somewhere. Do you guys think I should up the rating to PG-13??

  
  


Friendly Warning: Chapter 6 might take awhile.

**Don't know if I need this, but: Ya know that movie, 'The Wizard of Oz'? Other people own that. Not me.


	6. Madison Rescuing

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Hi *waves* Thanks for the reviews :) They helped me write this part a lot faster. Also, beginning with this chapter, I've upped the rating of this fic to PG-13. I'm doing this because Alise is a nasty piece of work, and this story is starting to get creepy. Poor Madison!

  
  


Chapter 6, Madison Rescuing:

  
  


"Syaoran, what's wrong?" Sakura stopped shaking Madison for fear that she was doing more harm than good, "Why won't she answer me?"

Syaoran was looking past her at Madison, still sitting on the bed. Should he tell her? Tell her what? That Madison's soul wasn't there? And he didn't know where it was?

"Um, I'm not sure what's wrong Sakura," completely true, "Let me try a Seeing spell, it might tell us something."

"But, Syaoran..... magic? I thought we weren't--"

"It's a passive spell," he explained, "It shouldn't alert Alise."

"Shouldn't?"

"Well, we don't know what we're dealing with."

Sakura thought for a moment. They had come here to get info on a new threat, and Madison, the only person who might know something, wasn't responding.

"Do it," she told him. He nodded and said a few words in an ancient language under his breath. With a blink his view of the world changed. Ordinary things, like dressers and tables faded into the background, while un-ordinary magical things, were brought into sharper focus.

Syaoran got a mild shock when he looked at Sakura with this new sight. For, even though she had disguised her power with Shield and Illusion Card-Magic, she still glowed with a fierce inner-light. Also a little startling were the thousands of tiny, silver, strands that seemed to connect him to his Cheery Blossom. This last bit nudged a memory in his mind, something from his magic lessons years ago, but he couldn't remember what it was. And he didn't have time to ponder, for at the moment he caught a glimpse of Madison.

Syaoran gasped as he looked beyond Sakura to her friend. He had never before looked at Madison with Mage-Sight, but he was shocked all the same at the change that must have occurred. Next to Sakura's warm glow, Madison was a swirling blackness, like a bad photo-negative, as if her body was dissolving and breaking away, even as he watched. And that wasn't even the most disturbing part.

"Sakura, give me your hand," he stated. And she complied, knowing his intentions. They had recently discovered that they could share the effect of such a spell if they were in physical contact. So she entwined her fingers with his, looked toward Madison, and shared in Syaoran's dawning horror.

"S-Syaoran what *are* those th-things?" she asked him in a shaky voice, not even sure she wanted to know.

Syaoran did not need to ask what she meant. What Sakura was referring to were five or six plate-sized hooks. At least they looked like hooks to Syaoran. Big, and made out of black-energy they were attached in Madison at her shoulders, arms, legs, and back. Connected to thick black cords, that trailed into a bundle and disappeared through a wall to an unknown destination.

"Syaoran," Sakura gasped again, "Look at her throat!" Syaoran directed his attention to Madison's neck and saw that one of the black energy-cords wasn't attached to a hook. Instead it wrapped round and round her throat before trailing off with it's comrades.

"What are they?" she asked again.

"I'm not sure," Syaoran finally admitted, "but I think they're mostly symbolic."

"What?"

"They are a visual manifestation of the control spells someone has cast over Madison. And I would bet that those cords lead straight to Alise."

The original plan was to get information and get Madison out of there, if they could do it without alerting the enemy. Suddenly Sakura was angry, she didn't care about alerting Alise anymore, "Syaoran we can't leave her here!"

"I know," he agreed. He realized that there was no way they could move Mad now without Alise knowing about it. But they could *not* leave her there.

"Good." Sakura took a deep breath and tried to think, "How, exactly, are we going to do this?"

"Good question."

  
  


Surveillance:

Across the street from the back of Madison's property, a car was parked near the sidewalk. If wasn't running, but had been driven recently, for one could still hear the ping of cooling metal under the hood.

"Can you see anything?" Kero asked Yue (currently in his Yukito form) as they both looked out the back-left window of the car.

"Yes."

"You can!? What?"

"Bushes."

Kero glared at his fellow Guardian out of the corner of his eye, "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Yukito smirked, "Maybe you should get closer," he taunted, "Then you could see what *kind* of bushes they are."

"Oh!!" Kero huffed angrily, "You know I can't get any closer! Neither can you, Alise would sense us!"

"Well, maybe we should anyway! It's better than waiting here!" No one had ever accused Yue of patience, at least, not recently.

"Stop it, Yukito," Kent ordered from the front seat, glaring at him in the rear-view mirror, "We've only been here ten minutes! And we are strictly back-up. I'm sure Sakura will call us----"

*ring, ring*

"----- if she needs us." Kent finished in the silence as Kero answered his little pink phone.

"Sakura?" Kero questioned, and the rest of them strained to hear the answer, but could only make out murmurs. And had to be content with Kero's side of the conversation:

"She has WHAT?........ What color?...... Black!! Are you sure?....... Unresponsive?....... Yes, definitely, this is very bad. We have to get her out of there NOW!!........ We followed you, we're right across the street....... Behind the house....... Okay, we're coming. Get a Shield on her now! And get out of there!...... Ya, good-luck, Bye" Kero pushed the off button and turned to the rest of the 'back-up team' with a grave look on his face, "It's worse than we thought. They need help." was all he told them, but they didn't argue. They were too busy getting out of the car.

  
  


Shield n' Run:

Sakura pushed the off button on her phone and handed it back to Syaoran. Neither of them had bothered to change out of their school uniforms, and Sakura's skirt didn't have pockets. Syaoran, who *had* taken the time to strap his sword sheath on his back, along with the pouch he kept his spell-scrolls in, dropped the phone in said pouch and turned his attention back to Sakura.

"What did he say?"

"They followed us," Sakura reported, without much surprise in her voice, "They're right across the street in the back."

Syaoran sighed, "Typical."

"Ya," she agreed, "But lucky." She took a deep breath and turned back to Madison, "Kero seemed really freaked when I described the hook things. He said to put a shield on her and get out of here." She walked over to stand beside her friend.

"Can we move her? Even with a shield?"

Sakura thought for a moment. When Eli had cast that spell to keep Yue and Kero from changing out of their battle forms, her shield had stopped the spell. At least inside the area her magic was effecting. "Yes, I think the shield spell will cut the cords. Then we can move her. That's probably what Kero intended."

Made sense. "How can I help?"

Sakura looked back at him, over her shoulder, "I'll need to see where the energy-cords are, and how they react when I cut them off."

Syaoran walked over and put a supporting hand on her back, "This okay?"he asked.

"Ya, Thanks." This way she could share the Seeing spell but still have her hands free. She reached out one hand and placed it about a foot above Mad's head, "Here we go."

Sakura had never done anything like this before. She already had a shield on herself, would she be able to maintain another one? One way to find out.

"Shield," she called softly, keeping in her mind what she wanted the magic to do. A golden glow left the fingers of her outreached hand and formed a bubble around Madison. Sakura tried to watch the black energy-cords, without actually *looking* at them. When the golden energy hit the bundle of cords it slowed down and stopped with a screeching sound.

"Syaoran! What do I do?"

"Try more power."

She put more power in the spell, concentrating on how much she wanted to save her friend. This had to work! Slowly, at first, her golden energy started to move again. Then it abruptly cut through the gathered cords with a *snap*. And the shield was formed. Inside it Madison's body jerked and then slumped over, like a puppet with the strings cut.

The remaining cords, that led off through the wall, dissolved, and they both heard an inhuman cry of rage from the other end of the mansion.

"I think Alise is mad," Syaoran commented, and Sakura had to agree with him.

"We need to get out of here, fast!" Syaoran stepped back from Sakura and walked over to the balcony, opening both glass doors wide, "Hurry!"

But Sakura hadn't heard him, for the moment his hand left her back, and her access to the Seeing spell faded, her gaze had returned to Madison, and she was shocked at what she saw there.

With only her 'normal' magic-enhanced sight the glow from the shield had died down a little, and Sakura could see through it quite clearly. The shield might have cut Madison off from the control spell, but the hooks were still there, and they were now visible in real-sight.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	7. House Restrictions

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: This one is a little longer. Hope you like. Thanks for the Reviews!! ;-)

Oh, and Birda-chan? Work on your spelling, please? *giggle* ^_~

  
  


Chapter 7, House Restrictions:

  
  


For a few hours, between the time darkness fell and Sakura's arrival with Syaoran, the big house was quiet. All the servants had left the mansion around sunset, even though some of them had no idea why they were leaving. Madison's father had died years before, and her mother was away on business. So, the only 'people' there were Madison and Alise.

Alise, for one, had never been in a house this big. And it *was* huge. She had counted 46 rooms before she gave up, and went to raid the enormous kitchen. This kitchen just happened to be on the opposite side of the house, and two floors down, from Madison's bedroom.

Alise was left in silence to eat pastries (eclairs were her particular favorite) and watch prime-time television on the set in the kitchen, for about two and a half hours. This was about the time that Sakura and Syaoran made it to the bottom of the trellis, although this was not what alerted her. What caught her notice was a fluctuation in the power from the little Earth-link.

Ever since her spells on the girl had been properly set and held in place, the flow of power had been a constant. Now there was a hiccup that caused Alise to dash out of the kitchen. She made it a few steps up the servants' stairs, toward the third floor and Madison's room before stopping to think. She decided that this change in the flow of power was just Madison becoming aware of the spells and trying to fight them. Since this did not seem to have worked, she turned her attention back to her eclairs.

Scant moments later Alise was surprised again by the sudden halt of any thoughts, which the control spell let her hear as a faint mumble, coming from her victim. She again walked a few steps before deciding that Madison had just lost consciousness, and turned back to her food. Part of the reason for this, and the former, dismissal was the fact that Madison's room was just so *far* away, and in this form Alise could not fly, she would have to walk the whole way.

Frankly the demon would rather eat eclairs.

Still, the two incidents had put the demon on alert, otherwise she may not have sensed the foreign magic. Alise could not tell what kind of spell it was, just that it wasn't hers, and that it was in the house, near Madison. She took off, running. While she ran she activated the barrier spell she had put in place earlier that day. It went all the way around the house, and the grounds, using the hedges as a marker. It was a relatively weak barrier, considering how large of an area it covered, and wouldn't stop anything for very long. But it would still give her some warning if anything *else* showed up, and it might catch what-ever-it-was by surprise, like a trip-wire. It also might stop this other spell-caster, if they left before she got there. The barrier was stronger from the inside than the outside, since that's where Alise was.

She was on the landing of the second floor when she felt someone, a *different* someone than the holder of the first foreign magic, interfering with the binding spell she had placed on the Earth-link. Her barrier was still up, so the two must have come in together, earlier. When had they come? And how had she not noticed?

Alise looked up at the remaining steps to the third floor. There were so many!! She began to curse the builders of the house while she increased her speed up the stairs. Whose idea had it been to build the kitchen so far from the family living quarters?! And, who had decided that this many stairs were needed !?! If she knew who it was she would gladly kill the person. As it was, she just ran faster.

Alise wasn't even half-way across the third floor when she felt another burst of magic, and the cutting off of her control spell completely. Giving a cry of frustrated rage, Alise gave up trying to run around the many doors and hallways, and just went through all the restrictions in her path. Throwing fire-balls and demon-strength punches in equal measure to destroy anything that was in her way to exacting her revenge on whoever had thought to take the Earth-link from her. She had found Madison first, and none but she would have that power!!

Her one consolation was that, even if they had somehow managed to cut off her control spell, it would not be so easy for them to get rid of her Spirit-hooks. At this point the hooks would be solid, (storing the energy instead of transferring it through the now severed cords) and could only be removed by an immortal (like a demon such as herself). And even an immortal, who was not the spell-caster, would have a hard time of it. As the subject of the spell Madison only had her energy drained slowly, but the two with her now had no such advantage, the magics Alise had sensed in Madison's room had a 'mortal' feel. The hooks would just kill the mortals outright, if they touched them.

An evil smile spread across Alise's face as she contemplated one (or both) of those mortal fools touching her Spirit-hooks. Since it would kill them faster than Madison, and because they weren't Earth-links, the hooks would not get as much energy from the other two. But they would still collect some. And once Madison was dead Alise could take their life-energy from the Spirit-hooks as well. Nice thought.......... Or she could just kill them. That was a nice thought too.

  
  


Catching Air:

Sakura was leaning over Madison's balcony, carefully directing the Float/Shield bubble that held her best friend. The bubble gently landed on the grass near Syaoran, who had jumped down seconds before. Neither of them were bothering to not use magic anymore. From the angry yells and noises of approaching destruction, they could tell that Alise already *knew* they were there.

"Is she down?" Sakura called, from up here she couldn't see the bottom of the bubble.

"Ya, get down here yourself." was the worried answer.

Sakura nervously looked over her shoulder. She could feel Alise getting closer and closer. Hurrying, Sakura vaulted up on the balcony railing, shouting "Fly!" as she did so. She hardly waited for the feeling of wings sprouting out of her back, before she jumped off, quickly gliding down to where Syaoran waited for her. But she didn't get that far.....

Right as Sakura was jumping off the railing she heard the door (and, it sounded like, part of the wall as well) crash open, and a voice screaming curses in different languages, right behind her. The malevolence of the voice sent warning prickles to the back of Sakura's neck as the hair that grew there stood on end. And she didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that something bad was coming. But, when Syaoran yelled a warning to her, she did anyway. What she saw was a fireball, about the size of a beach-ball, headed straight toward her.

Sakura frantically tried to spill air from her wings to descend faster, but she didn't have time, and the fireball hit when she was still a good four feet from the ground. The fireball slammed into the middle of her back, angled slightly toward her right shoulder. Causing her to tilt slightly in the air. She still had a shield spell on herself so Sakura's wings took most of the damage form the magical fire. With one wing completely burned off, and the other mangled, she landed awkwardly on her left foot and felt it bend in an odd way before she feel to her knees.

"Sakura!!" Syaoran quickly came to her side. Sakura brought her head up just in time to see Alise throw another fireball-- straight at Syaoran.

"Syaoran, watch out!" using her right foot Sakura pushed herself forward and knocked Syaoran out of the way. Her injured left ankle, still trailing behind her, took the fireball, causing her to cry-out in pain. She felt the shield around herself die out (she hadn't put a lot of power in it, and it wasn't meant to deflect direct hits) and quickly channeled more power to Madison's bubble, and then put a hasty shield up around them all.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" Syaoran asked, a little frantically. He looked down at her face, she was still kind of draped over him from pushing him out of harms way. Her eyes had gone unfocused for a moment in a way that worried him. But then the shield had gone up and he realized she had just been concentrating.

"I'm alright," she finally answered him, with a strained little smile, "I don't think I can walk though." she admitted, and they both looked down at her, slightly singed, ankle.

"Ouch!" Syaoran sympathized. It looked very painful, it was already swollen and one could easily see the beginnings of a nasty bruise, both from the sprain (at least Sakura didn't *think* it was broken, even if it hurt like it was) and from the added concussion of the fireball strike. Sakura could feel a similar bruise forming on her back.

Another scream of rage turned their attention back to Alise, who jumped off the balcony to land before them. She started throwing fireballs again. They could both feel the power of her shield flicker with each hit.

"How much longer will your shield last?" Syaoran asked her. And she thought about it, wincing as a particularly large fireball made the ground sake and jolted her ankle, making her poor sandal (with most of the straps burned through) fall completely off her foot.

"Maybe another ten minutes," she admitted, and winced again as the ground shook a second time, "Maybe."

Syaoran carefully got up, leaving Sakura sitting on the ground. And stood in front of her drawing his sword, "Where's Kero when you need him!"

  
  


Hedged:

After convincing Kent and Touya to stay with the car (started and ready for a swift get-away) Yue and Kero changed into their battle forms and leapt into the air. Kero was going a little faster than Yue, and thus made it to the bushes surrounding the property first, only to come to a sudden halt about 7 feet in the air, over the bush-line.

Whatever he hit was solid enough to leave him stunned for a moment, and when the ringing in his ears died away Kero found himself in a precarious position. The first thing he noticed was that he was looking *up* at the sky, which was ringed by leafy green. As his vision came into better focus he saw that it was, in fact, the green of leaves- as in bushes.

"Kero! Quit goofing off! We have to help Sakura!" Kero directed his eyes to the right and saw Yue hovering in the air above the hedge his comrade was trapped in, looking at Kero disapprovingly.

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Kero rebutted, then added, "I hit a barrier of some kind." as he realized what must have happened.

"Well," Yue flew back and forth across the hedges above the other Guardian, "It looks like it's gone now. Must have been weak," he mused, then his face brightened a little, "You *do* know you look ridiculous, right?"

Kero glared at him. Yes he knew he must look quite funny, especially seen from above. All four of his legs were sticking straight up in the air, tangled in branches and vines. One wing was bent uncomfortably beneath him, and the other one was poking out from the bush to his left, fully extended and flapping uselessly at the air. And the more he wriggled to get free, the more firmly lodged he became. This could take awhile.

"Just go!" Kero yelled up at a snickering Yue, "Help Sakura, and try to get the Spirit-hooks out of Madison. I'll follow."

"'Spirit-hooks'?" Yue looked confused.

"Yes!" Kero returned, impatiently. "Sakura said they were already black! We have to get them out now!"

"Huh?"

Kero suddenly paused in his struggle for freedom from the foliage, to look at Yue in disbelief, "You mean Master Clow never told you about Spirit-hooks?"

"Um.... No?" Yue guessed.

Kero sighed. He had been suspecting for awhile that Clow had been a lot more thorough in Kero's education than in Yue's. He had taught many spells and imparted a vast number of his visions to the Sun Guardian, most of which he did not remember until it was needed. Like the hooks. The moment Sakura had described them he knew what they were, what it meant that they were black, and how to remove them. But, evidently, Yue did not.

"Never mind. Just go! Help Sakura fight off Alise until I get there." And Yue did what he was told, his fire-bow already forming in his hands as he flew away. He too was becoming aware of the differences between their educations. In situations such as this, when Kero talked- he listened.

After struggling for a few more moments, Kero decided that he would have to change forms to get out of this. He didn't want to because he didn't think he could change back very soon, Sakura needed her energy for the battle, and might not have enough spare power to allow him his larger form again.

~Ah, well~ he thought as he shimmered and shrunk back into his stuffed animal form, ~I need to be in this form anyway, to get the Spirit-hooks out. And I can fly faster this way.~ With that he zipped out of the, now very mangled bush, and toward his Mistress, and Madison.

  
  


Meanwhile, Back at the Front-line:

Sakura had managed to stand up, barely, and was standing on one foot (with it's lone shoe) behind Syaoran, using him for balance. She rested her chin on one of his shoulders, beside the hand she already had there, and looked through the gold of her shield at the enemy, "Do you think she'll give up?" she asked him, without much hope. Her shield had lasted 10 minutes already, and was still up, but it was draining her reserves.

"No. She's not giving up anytime soon." Syaoran answered, redundantly. He tried not to shiver as Sakura's warm breath caressed his ear when she talked, "Kero and Yue better get here soon."

Sakura glanced behind their group at the empty sky, then at her friend slumping, bonelessly, in the protective bubble beside them, and buried her face in her boyfriend's back. She had felt Kero use her power to transform about five minutes before. But they had yet to see either of her Guardians. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the shield up under Alise's powerful attacks, defense took a lot more energy than offense. Which left them only one choice.

She took a deep breath for courage, taking comfort in Syaoran's unique, pleasant, and familiar, scent as she inhaled it, and made her decision, "If they're not here in another 2 minutes, I'm dropping the shield." she lifted her head back up as she talked, and tried to sound confidant. She checked her watch.

Syaoran nodded in agreement. He knew they needed to fight while she still had the energy to do so, "I'm right here, with you," he reminded her, turning half-way and putting one arm around her in a hug. His other hand held his sword in front of them both.

"I know," she returned the hug, using him for support as she kicked off her other sandal, and added a kiss in gratitude, before stepping away. She forced herself to take half her weight on her injured ankle, wincing as she checked her watch again. Almost time. Sakura and Syaoran moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in front of Madison, and Sakura prepared to drop the shield.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	8. Lavender

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Someone asked if I could have more 'the-Cards-in-Sakura's-head' stuff in this fic. Well, I don't really know how I could fit it in this particular story. But I was thinking about writing some short stories that take place between "What the Cards Were For" and "Sakura's Peace" Would you guys be interested in that? The short stories would deal with Sakura's 'training' with the Cards, and her attempts to date Syaoran. Let me know.

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews :)

  
  


Chapter 8, Lavender:

Kero wrung his little paws together in worry as he looked at Madison. Sakura had been right; the Spirit-hooks were black- shockingly so. As if the night had taken on a solid form of inky darkness.

This was very bad. When first placed, Spirit-hooks were the color of the victim's aura. Then they slowly grew darker as they sucked-up life-energy. This black color was indicative of the final stage, when it got this far the victim only had moments to live.

Kero thought sadly of Madison's beautiful aura, which he knew was a pale lavender color. The fact that her aura was gone, meaning that her soul was no longer in residence, was not lost on the Sun Guardian. But he also knew that if he didn't get those hooks out of her now- the exact location of her soul wouldn't matter much. She'd be dead anyway.

Pitch Black was a long way from Pale Lavender.

From beside him Kero heard the Li kid gasp in shock. This was the first close-up look he'd had of the hooks in solid form, "How do we get them out?" he asked.

"'We' don't," Kero told him, "I do. You're just here to hold her up while I work."

Syaoran looked at how Madison was slumped against the side of the Float bubble. That made sense, the minute the bubble was gone, she would fall to the ground- and one of the hooks was in the middle of her back, "Won't it go faster in I help you get them out?"

"No. You so much as brush one of those Spirit-hooks- and you'll die instantly."

"Oh," Was that what they were called? Apt name, "Won't they kill you too?"

"No, I'm immortal."

Syaoran's eyebrows went up as he thought about that. Made sense- Kero *was* a 'Magical Beast' after all. It suddenly occurred to Syaoran that many of the things Kero had said in the last few minutes made a lot of sense. Odd.

"Master Clow taught me how to remove Spirit-hooks a long time ago. Probably in case something like this happened."

"Right," Syaoran nodded, sheathing his sword. He spared a glance for Sakura, fighting Alise with Yue outside the shield, and hoped she was alright. Then turned back to Kero, "Let's do it."

  
  


Battle Actions:

Sakura, with a brand-new pair of wings, flew side-by-side with Yue as they threw various destructive spells at Alise. Then dodged her return volleys. Sakura was using Arrow Card-magic, without the bow. Just willing arrow, after light azure arrow into existence, zooming at the enemy. Her arrows were smaller than Yue's fire ones, but there were more of them, and she was giving each a little kick with Thunder.

"How long do we need to do this again?" she shouted to her fellow archer. She was getting *very* tired, holding up the shield, flying, and throwing offensive strikes. And Alise still looked fresh as a daisy-- if a few petals short.

"Until Kero gets the Spirit-hooks out and it's safe to move Madison." Yue, for his part, was trying to ignore the many screamed curses and insults coming from Alise's general direction. She was using at least five languages, two of which Yue knew- and wished he didn't.

"Yes, but *how long*?" Sakura gave up on the arrows, and started using fire-balls herself. It took a moment to figure out how. But she had *such* a good teacher.

"I don't know, I'm sorry Mistress," he knew she was tired. Heck, he was tired! He hadn't used this much magical energy since the Judgment, "Kero just said that he needed to get those hooks out *now* or we would lose her anyway."

That's why they were out here: to distract Alise, and give Kero and Syaoran the time they needed to help Madison. When Kero appeared, seconds behind Yue, he had swiftly given orders to them all. Resulting in Sakura dropping the outer shield, extending the shield on Madison to include Kero and Syaoran, and passing the Float bubble spell-controls to Kero, so he could turn it off. All under cover fire provided by Yue. More than half of Sakura's power-reserves were being drained by the shield around her friends, and she was wearing down quickly. Kero had better hurry.

"Ow!" Sakura winced as yet another Alise driven fire-ball hit her injured ankle, "Does she *have to* keep aiming for my ankle!!" she yelled.

Evidently her protest was loud enough for Alise to hear, for there came evil laughter in return. ~Great~ Sakura thought, ~the demon thinks she has a sense of humor.~

Sakura stopped throwing fire-balls when they became weak, and started sending waves of Water (the easiest element for her to conjure) at Alise. This had the happy side-effect of dosing most of the incoming fire-balls.

Alise, screaming in rage, and soaked to the skin, started to toss jagged pieces of magical ice (sharp as knives) at the flying pair. ~This just gets better and better.~

  
  


Don't Touch!:

"Okay, ready?"

Syaoran looked up from where Kero had placed him, behind Madison, and nodded.

"Right then, on 'three'..... One....... Two.......... Three!!" Kero mentally yanked the Float spell-controls apart, ending the spell. The bubble disappeared and Syaoran swiftly dodged forward and grabbed Madison's upper arms (just below the Spirit-hooks in her shoulders) keeping her from falling to the ground.

Kero sighed in relief. He had been counting on Syaoran's warrior reflexes to insure that the young man caught Mad without touching any of the hooks. Looks like his faith was paid off.

"What next?" the boy asked the floating stuffed animal.

"Just hold her steady- Don't touch the hooks!! -and I'll get them out as quickly as I can." Kero closed his eyes and concentrated. First he thickened his own, golden, aura around his hands, as added protection. Then he imagined a large, empty, battery (back when he first learned this, from Clow, there hadn't been batteries, but Kero thought it might work better than envisioning an empty cup) in his mind and connected it, via gold cords, to the thickened aura on his little paws.

~There, ready,~ he opened his eyes and floated over to the Spirit-hook in Madison's right shoulder. ~Hope I remember how to do this~ he took a deep breath and placed both his paws lightly on the hook.

  
  


Lessons in History:

Every few years Master Clow would go on a trip. Traveling through China (or Europe, wherever he was living at the time) searching for dark magic to defeat, saving peoples lives. This was part of his job as a Guardian for Peace, but he also used it as an opportunity to teach things to Kero. This was how the Guardian of the Sun learned about Spirit-hooks.

Spirit-hooks were disturbingly common back then, they always found at least one case of such on each journey. The first time they found one, Master Clow took care of it himself, explaining everything to Kero as he went along. This first victim had only one hook, the next one had three. Clow took care of two of them- but then insisted Kero have a go at the third. Kero, much to his own surprise, managed it very well and the person was saved. After which Clow defeated the maker of the Spirit-hooks, and Master and student moved on.

After that, Kero would take care of any Spirit-hooks they found, with occasional coaching from Clow. They were lucky, they got to most of the victims in plenty of time, and none had more then four hooks. There was one exception when they got to the victim too late. That time, Clow himself had tried to get the hook out, but it was already black, and the person died.

This made Clow *very* angry, as the victim had been a little child. So he decided that the punishment should fit the crime, and put a Spirit-hook in the perpetrator before walking away without a backward glance. Kero assumed the bad guy had died, they never heard of him again.

All these memories came back to Kero as he put hands to Madison's first Spirit-hook. He had never seen hooks this black or this many in number (in the back of his mind he was a little shocked that Madison was still alive) but he would not give up. Madison was his friend, he would do his best to save her.

  
  


It's All in the Balance:

Syaoran had never inquired from Sakura or Madison their exact weight. This was because, while he was male, he was also smart and rather fond of living- he really didn't want to die. Besides, it really hadn't mattered much to him, until now. It seemed to him that Sakura's best friend had gained 20 pounds in the last 10 minutes. It was getting harder and harder to keep holding her up.

Luckily, for Syaoran's peace of mind, and his aching arms (not to mention his injured leg), Kero was over half done removing the Spirit-hooks. Starting with the hook it Mad's right shoulder, the little stuffed animal had moved on to the one on her left, then the one on her left leg, then her right.

It was a strange thing to watch, Syaoran decided. Kero would first put both his paws, which had gained a golden glow, on a hook. Then, a few seconds later, the hook would fade into the pale lavender that Syaoran remembered as the exact shade of Madison's non-present aura. Finally, the hook dissolved into sparkles of magic, which were absorbed into Kero's paws.

What happened to the energy after that, he didn't know. But he had noticed that, while the Sun Guardian had started out at a barely contained speed, he was going a little slower with each successive hook. It seemed like an eternity, but was probably about five minutes, before Kero was finally done with the hook in her right leg.

"Okay kid, time to change positions," Kero said, coming out of the semi-trance he had been working in. Soon Syaoran had, very carefully moved around Madison until he was standing in front of her, holding her up by the arms. This allowed Kero access to the Spirit-hook in her back.

Kero winced as his paws touched the last Spirit-hook. All the hooks had burned when he touched them, but this wasn't the reason he winced. For this final hook (the last obstacle, except for the black cord wrapped around her neck) was placed vertically between her shoulder blades, right into her spine. Kero knew that this hook, more than any of the others, would require extreme concentration, and magical skill, to remove. A slight shift of the hook in any direction, and Madison's body would be paralyzed.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	9. Hissy Fit

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Yes, Light Blossom, I know I've been using names (and/or stuff) from both CCS and CC. I just use what I like best from each one :)

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews ^_~

  
  


Chapter 9, Hissy Fit:

It was a commonly known fact that Yue's hair (which was longer than he was when flying, but somehow never trailed on the ground) was a precious commodity to him. He often told, anyone who would listen, that it had taken him almost a century to grow it to it's current, luxurious, length. And he brushed and cared for it with magic. He made it very clear that No One could touch it but himself, except possibly Touya (with permission, and a signed affidavit proclaiming the absence of any malicious intent).

From this point of view, what happened next was completely understandable. And, slightly fortunate, if messy. In any case, it ended the current battle with Alise.

Since Sakura was already using up most of her energy, she was forced to stay with Water Card-magic (always the easiest for her to use), instead of changing to a more appropriate counter to Alise's ice-knives. But she did manage to make the Water warmer, so that it melted as many knives as it knocked out of the sky.

On the other hand, Yue's fire-arrows missed the little ice-knives more often than not. Alise, who (while definitely crazy) was not stupid, noticed this right away, and changed her attack accordingly. Seconds later, a large volley of blue/white ice-knives was speeding toward Yue, bypassing Sakura, and her waves of warm Water, completely.

"Eeep!" Yue quickly dodged to the right (away from Sakura). Thanks to his swift action, most of the knives missed him, but one knife lodged in his left thigh (before melting), and another one sliced his left arm. While these injuries were certainly painful, they were nothing compared to the mental anguish caused by the last three knives.

At first, Yue was sure they had missed him, but then he felt a slight tug on his scalp, and heard a strange whispery sound, like silk being parted by a razorblade. And in that shocking instant, he knew. He turned horrified eyes down to see a large handful of silvery strands, brutally torn from their brethren, fall softly through the air toward the ground. In slow motion Yue watched that severed hank of shining moonlight float downward, bounce once, and spread in a ghostly array on the battle scarred grass below, "Noooo!!"

It couldn't be! It wasn't possible!! His Hair!!!

"My HAIR!! NO!" Yue screeched in disbelief, still trying to deny it, to convince himself that it couldn't be possible, it hadn't happened. But, there was the proof, lying on the grass like broken pieces of his soul. Someone had stolen something beautiful from him; Someone had committed the ultimate travesty; SOMEONE HAD MESSED WITH HIS HAIR!!

"You," Yue growled in a dangerous voice, whipping his head around to stare straight at Alise, "You did this!" Alise took a startled step back at the murderously calm expression on Yue's pale face, "How could you?.......... I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!!!"

  
  


Delicate Operations (a few moments before):

By this time Kero had stopped wondering why Madison was still alive, despite the advanced stage of the Spirit-hooks. Once he started to drain the energy out of them he discovered an important fact:

Madison had a lot of energy.

Not that she was up to Sakura's level (or even Syaoran's for that matter) but she definitely had more life energy than the average human. This explained why she was still alive, and the number of Spirit-hooks Alise had used. At first all those hooks had seemed over-kill, now he could see Alise's necessity for them. One or two hooks just wouldn't have cut it.

How could Madison have had this power, all this time, and none of them had noticed? Kero had been forced to up the voltage/capacity, in his little mentally made battery, when he was only half way through the second hook; and again after the fourth. 

Odd. But not something he had time to think about right now, as he floated behind Sakura's friend studying the fifth, and final, Spirit-hook. He considered his options.

Removing the hooks at this late stage had left holes in Madison's skin. They weren't physical wounds exactly, but the center point of the energy drain (where the Spirit-hooks had been) was corrosive. The cells touching the hooks tended to die first as their essence is leeched away. These wounds could be healed by putting the victim's life-energy back where it belonged. Their own energy, returned to them, could seal the blemishes and restore the person the health.

The problem was, if Kero tried to heal Madison's wounds while any of the hooks were still present, the hooks would just suck the energy up again, leaving them back were they had started. Kero knew that he couldn't take this hook out the same way, it could kill or paralyze her, even if only due to it's location. But, he couldn't heal her with that hook there, either.

He would have to remove the Spirit-hook while he healed her back.

It wouldn't be easy, but Kero could think of no other way to save her. He quickly got to work. First he, carefully, detached the power cords from his paws, and applied them to the hook itself. Making sure that the energy flow was definitely away from the hook, towards the battery. He left a kink in the cords so that they wouldn't start to draw out energy before he wanted them to.

Next, he made two more cords, attaching them to his paws again, but reversing the flow. These cords would help energy flow out of the battery, strictly within the Sun Guardian's control.

Kero took a deep breath, then let it out again. He was ready. He placed a paw on Madison's back to the right of the hook inflicted wound (wincing at how cold her skin was through her school blouse), put his remaining paw on the other side, and began.

He let some of Mad's life energy flow from his paws, through the skin, muscle, bone, and the cluster of nerves running through her spinal cord, directing it back to the point where the Spirit-hook corrosion began. The hook took the energy back immediately, and Kero unkinked the other cords to activate his little circuit. He delicately balanced the stream so that there was slightly more energy coming in, than was going out.

After a few moments, the cells slowly began to heal themselves, the energy gradually healing it's way to the surface as the hook got weaker and disintegrated into lavender sparks. When the final Spirit- hook was gone, Kero kept the life-energy flow going until all he could see through the ragged hole in Madison's school uniform was whole (if still grey) skin.

He had done it.

Kero swiftly dismissed the second set of cords, and floated up a few inches to quickly get rid of the Spirit-cord before it could undo all of his work. Finally he tucked the battery into a safe corner of his mind, deciding that it would be better to wait and give her energy back once they were somewhere safe. Now that the hooks were gone, they had a little time.

"Okay kid, we're done."

"Good." Kero got out of the way as Syaoran gently lowered Mad to the grass, then walked around to the side to pick her up in his arms, "What now?"

"Well," Kero began, "I'd suggest we get out of--"

Kero was cut off be a loud scream: ".... I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!!!"

Kero and Syaoran both whipped their heads around toward the noise. Through the golden haze of the, still active, Shield spell, they could see Yue with an absolutely chilling look of rage on his face. Something else about him looked different, but Kero couldn't quite put his paw on what that was.

"Take this!! You... You Evil POLLYANNA!!!!" Yue yelled.

Kero and Syaoran watched in wide-eyed amazement as Yue pulled back his (suddenly much larger) fire-bow, which now sported a ground-to-air sized arrow, and aimed it straight at Alise, who was still frozen in shock.

***** KABOOM!!! *****

Alise's monstrous scream could be heard from within the ball of blue spell-fire that now resided where Alise used-to-be. The demon had jumped straight up in the air, batting at the flames on her frilly dress, to land on the roof. The demon looked singed and decidedly worse for wear.

"This isn't over," she called down to the group, "I found that little Link first! And no one but me will have her energy!!" Then she was gone, for now.

The silence Alise left behind her was broken by a pitiful wail: "My Hair........"

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	10. Home Again

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: A few people have asked me to e-mail them when I update. I'm really sorry, but I seriously don't have the time to do that. For example; I've just started a four credit hour Algebra class (one that has scary words like radicals and logarithms in the Syllabus). So, again, I am sorry, and I'll try to update every week or so, just check for new chapters once a week and all will be well. ^_~

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! :)

  
  


Chapter 10, Home Again:

The room was almost completely dark, lit only by vague shadows of moonlight. Faint outlines revealed the location of a sofa, love-seat, and assorted chairs, but the short coffee-table was not so visible. Someone walking across the middle of this room would, most likely, trip over it and land, inelegantly, in front of the small fireplace.

The sounds of a car pulling into the driveway, and turning off, can be heard from outside. Followed by the sounds of various occupants leaving the car, along with a strange sort of keening wail. Then, the sound of a door being opened. Was it the front door, that was connected to this room by a small foyer?

No, the sound was a little farther away; It was the kitchen door, leading from the backyard/carport into the recently re-modeled kitchen. A light was turned on from that end of the house, but it's beams did not yet reach this room.

Now, the sounds of people coming down the hall, accompanied by the continuing wailing sound.

"Oh, Yue! Calm down, it's just hair! Touya, would you get the light, please?"

"Sure, Dad."

"Just HAIR!?!"

One flick of a switch turned on three different light fixtures; all semi-circles on three of the livingroom's walls, up near the ceiling. In the door came Touya, towing a distraught Yue (cradling the shorn ends of his hair) along behind him. Next came Kent, carrying the limp form of Madison in his arms, and Kero on his shoulder.

"Could you put her on the couch please, Dad?" Sakura asked. She and Syaoran were the last through the door. Sakura had to rely on Syaoran's supporting arm to keep up her limping pace, since her ankle was pretty mangled and wouldn't hold any weight to speak of.

"Alright, honey," Kent carefully placed Madison's body on the sofa, and propped her up with pillows.

The rest of them tiredly found places to sit, and watched Kero where he floated in front of Madison.

"Now what?" asked Syaoran, who had gained a new perspective of respect for the flying stuffed animal.

"Well, first I need to return her energy That should take care of the wounds the Spirit-hooks left," Kero began. They all looked at Madison (which they had been trying not to do) and winced at her condition. While it was undoubtable that she looked better than she had with the Spirit-hooks embedded in her flesh, she still looked really bad. Especially under the stronger light available in the Avalon's house. Her skin was as white as bone china, and almost as translucent, except around the wounds where it took on the blue/black hue of an old bruise.

Sakura scooted a little closer to Syaoran on the love seat, and tried not to cry. He put his arm around her.

"Then," Kero continued, "We can worry about the soul thing."

"'Soul thing' what 'soul thing'?" Sakura demanded. What else was wrong with her friend?

Kero looked a little surprised, "You mean Syaoran didn't tell you? I thought he could sense that kind of thing."

"I can," Syaoran replied.

"Someone tell me what you're talking about!"

"I believe they are referring to the fact that we cannot sense Madison's soul, young Mistress," Yue told her. He was still sniffling, but seemed to have calmed down slightly. Some might accredit this to the fact that Touya was coddling him.

"WHAT!?!?" Sakura leapt to her feet, forgetting, in her distress, about her injured ankle. She gasped when half her weight came down on it, and started to fall. Then Syaoran leaned forward and caught her, so she fell onto his lap instead of the floor.

"What do you mean?" Sakura inquired again, in a shaky voice, leaning into her boyfriend's embrace and grabbing hold of his arms when he put them around her.

"I can't feel her aura," Syaoran admitted, softly, "I can tell it's Madison, but her soul just isn't there."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura turned so she was sitting sideways of his lap, and looked at his face. He loosened his arms to let her turn.

"I didn't want to worry you- and there wasn't much time."

Sakura decided to let it go. She could always yell at him later, when Madison was okay. "How did this happen?"

"I'm not sure," Kero told her musingly, tapping one paw on his chin and he looked into Madison's vacant gaze.

"Was it a Soul-stealer?" Sakura's next question was barely above a whisper.

"No," Kero floated a little closer to Mad and examined the dried tear-track on her face, "No, there is no indication that her soul was taken by force," he folded his arms and his little brows drew together in confusion, "In fact, it almost looks...... voluntary."

"But, how...... ?"

"Never mind," Kero insisted, "We'll figure it out later. It's dangerous for her to be without this much energy, for this long. Be quiet while I put it back, okay?"

"Okay," Sakura agreed, meekly. Syaoran's arms tightened around her again.

They all watched in silence as Kero floated to a position about 2 feet above Madison's head. He just hovered there for a moment, like he was meditating, then he started to spin. Soon, the blur that was the spinning Kerberos started to glow a bright gold. Finally sparks exploded outward from the Sun Guardian, showering down on Madison, turning lavender a second before being absorbed into her skin.

Mad started to look better right away, her skin gained color and the wounds closed. Even her breathing seemed to improve, the air moving freely in and out of her lungs. After about five minutes, the number of sparks diminished, then stopped all together. And Kero, his glow a lot weaker, spun to a stop. And fell.

He bounced once and came to rest on a cushion to the left of Madison, on the couch.

"Kero!!" They all yelled, and Kent (the only truly mobile one, since Yue was still using Touya as a tissue) rushed over to the couch.

"Are you okay?" Kent asked.

"Yes," Kero sat up painfully, waving away Kent's helping hand, "I've just never returned that much energy before. It was a shock, that's all."

"Um, okay. If you say so." But Kent stood by until Kero was floating again, before returning to his seat.

"Okay now we worry about the soul thing," Kero was, once again, floating in front of Madison. Since her body was healed now, it was easier for him to do a magical scan.

On the love seat Syaoran chanted the seeing spell again, sharing this perception with Sakura through their contact in.... lots of places. This time Sakura noticed Mad's lack of an aura, and it scared her more than anything. What had happened to her friend?

Kero saw the lack of aura, as well as the lack of trauma that would have resulted from the removal of a soul against the bearer's will. So what had happened? One thing he was sure of, what ever had happened, Madison had done it herself. And there was a limited number of ways a soul could be removed under such circumstances:

One: A person could actually will themselves to die, their soul leaving their body behind through a force of will; Kero thought of Madison's vibrant love of life, and knew she would never have done that. Or, Two: Astral projection; But such things always left a cord behind, connecting the absent soul to the body.

There was only one other way, that Kero knew about, for this to happen. But, how could Madison have done it? He had to admit, all the signs were there; The absence of soul and aura; Lack of trauma, like the soul hadn't even been removed at all.

Like it was still there, somewhere.

But.... Madison couldn't..... She wasn't a...... Was she?

"Um, Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Does Madison have a middle name?"

"Yes."

"What is it?" Please don't let it be.........

"Tamayo. Why?"

"Oh, that's just great! Why didn't I notice!!" Kero slumped to the couch again, putting his little head in his paws.

"What? What didn't you notice?" Sakura asked. She didn't know what was going on, but she thought Syaoran might. Her boyfriend had given a little jump of shock when she revealed Mad's middle name. Like it meant something important.

"She's a Tamayo?" Yue questioned.

"Yes," Kero returned, "It all makes sense now. I thought that she had a lot of energy for a human. Ha!"

Sakura was shocked to realize that Kero was crying behind his paws, "What's going on?"

"You know what this means, don't you?" Yue asked his fellow guardian.

"The Soul-Box," Syaoran almost whispered.

"Yes," Kero sniffled, and lifted his fuzzy, tear-stained, face to look at them in despair, "The 'Soul-Box'. We'll never get her back now."

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	11. Tamayo

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Okay, yes I know that 'Tamayo' is like (or, at least, similar to) Madison's name in CCS. I did it on purpose, I like to use stuff from both CC and CCS; It's fun :)

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~

  
  


Chapter 11, Tamayo:

  
  


"Wait! What's a 'Soul-Box'?!?!" Sakura demanded, "What's happened to Madison!?"

So, Kero pulled himself together and tried to explain it to her.

"First, I should tell you about the Tamayos," he began, "They are a line of women that go back as far as anyone can remember. The title is passed from Mother to Daughter."

"But what does it mean?"

"Well, the Tamayos are conduits for Earth energy, they're kinda like release valves for the planet. Any excess energy can safely pass through them (in a metaphysical sense) and dissipate before it causes any unnecessary earthquakes......"

"Earthquakes are 'necessary'?"

"Some of them, yes. When you think about it; we are all just living on a bunch of plates floating on a huge sea of molten lava. If the plates didn't move it'd all blow-up, no matter how many Tamayos there were. And, moving plates cause earthquakes.

"But, earthquakes (bigger, more deadly ones) can be caused by a build-up of too much Earth-magic in one place. The Tamayos prevent this by releasing the energy before it causes harm."

"Is that why Alise wanted Madison? She called her an 'Earth-link'"

"'Earth-link' Huh? Well, I guess that fits too. Although it may kill them, Tamayos can also channel energy from the Earth to others that can use it, even if they can't use it themselves."

"She can give people power?" Kent asked.

"Yes, she could. But she won't. No Tamayo would."

"Why?"

"Because they aren't just conduits for Earth energy, they are guardians of it as well. Earth power packs quite a punch. Access to it can cause a lot of damage, very few people would even know how to use it; And any good magic-users wouldn't try it without a very good reason. Even experienced users could destroy the planet if they sneezed or something, at the wrong moment."

"Whoa," Touya commented.

"Exactly," Kero continued, "but people (beings) like Alise, don't really care if they destroy the planet or not, they just want the power. So, the Tamayos guard it."

"How?" Sakura asked, "I thought you said they couldn't use the magic they channeled?"

"I did, and they can't. But they are slightly empathic, so they can, sometimes, sense an evil intent. Plus, they have mental shields and defenses that they can put up if they have enough warning."

"Like the 'Soul-Box'?" Sakura's question was spoken softly.

"Yes, as a last ditch defense. Their souls store a minute portion of the Earth power that passes through them everyday. The older they are, the more power their souls have. And Madison has lived over 17 years, that's a lot of power."

"And Alise would want it." Syaoran concluded.

"Yes. Madison must have realized what was going on. Too late to save herself maybe, but it would have kept Alise from getting very much power. Their souls are the essence of the conduit; All Alise would get now would be Madison's slightly elevated life-energy. And though that's a sizable chunk of power by itself, it's nowhere near how much she could have gleaned before Mad built the Soul-Box."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Pretty much what it sounds like: A box for the soul. The Tamayos all learn how to build one, just in case."

"So, her soul's in this 'box' and that's why you guys can't sense it?"

"Right." Syaoran and Yue nodded.

"Can't we just open it, and let her out?" Sakura, remembering Kero crying, didn't feel confident about the answer.

"No. How effective a defense would it be if things like Alise could just open it again?"

"But we are not Alise..."

"Doesn't matter. The box is tuned to her own brain pattern, not even another Tamayo could get her back now."

There was silence, broken only by soft sniffles when Kero started crying again.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Sakura was crying herself now.

"Not that I know of," Kero, who had produced a lace handkerchief from somewhere, blew his nose. "I mean, if one of us had her brain pattern maybe we could........."

"'Could' what Kero? Kero?!?"

"I have an idea." Kero stated

"What?"

So, Kero explained it to them. And, when he was done, they all stared at him in shocked silence.

"You can do that?" Yue asked, disbelieving.

"Yes." the other magical beast returned simply.

"Really?"

A nod.

"Well, I can't do that," Yue's silver moonlight eyebrows drew together, "Why can't I do that?"

"I don't know! I didn't even remember I could until just now!!"

"Clow again?"

"Yeah. He did such a number on my head, layers and layers of spells that hide things he taught me. Half the stuff I know, I don't know I know, until the last minute when I need to know it!! Or, until Clow decided I'd need to know it!"

"That's very strange."

"Ever happen to you?"

"Nope. If it wasn't so obnoxious, I'd be jealous of you. Clow spent a lot more time and magical energy teaching you than he did me."

Kero snorted, "Consider yourself lucky."

"I do," Yue smirked at him.

Kero dropped the conversation and floated in front of Madison again, trying to decide (remember) exactly how this was done.

"Do you think it will work?" Syaoran asked him.

"It better work," Kero answered him, chewing nervously on the tip of one paw, "Just how long do you think the body can survive without the soul?"

"A couple days?" Touya guessed.

"More like 24 hours," Yue corrected him.

"Oh!" Sakura, who was still sitting in Syaoran's lap, threw hers arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "What if it doesn't work, Syaoran? She's my Best Friend; She's Madison! What will happen if this doesn't work?"

She felt Syaoran put his arms around her, and held him tighter. It was too much! She'd spent most of the evening feeling useless in the face of her friend's predicament. She just could not stand the feeling of powerlessness that was sweeping over her.

"Shhh, it's okay Sakura. It will work, right Kero?" he looked pleadingly over Sakura's shoulder at the Sun Guardian.

"Yeah, sure it will." Kero returned, trying to put more confidence in his voice than he felt, "Of course it will work! Clow must have taught me how to do this for just this occasion. He wouldn't have done that if it wouldn't work."

"Did you hear that Sakura? It's going to work. Clow knew this would happen, and prepared Kero for it." He, gently, lifted her head from his shoulder and wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs.

"I just feel so helpless! Kero," she turned a little to face him, "isn't there something I can do? I need something to do!"

It was then that Kero and Syaoran, in nearly the same moment, realized what Sakura must be going through. In the past six years, or so, Sakura had been active in solving every major problem, magical or otherwise, in their lives. And, since she'd become a Warrior for Peace, the feeling that she had to take care of them all, protect them, had only increased. In her mind, she'd failed to protect her best friend.

"It's okay, Sakura. There was nothing you, or any of us, could have done. We got her out of there as fast as we could, and Kero can help her. He got the Spirit-hooks out didn't he?"

She nodded.

"So, he can fix this too. He'll have Mad back to normal in no time!"

~Great~ Kero thought, ~Thanks, Kid! No pressure~

  
  


Boxed:

Madison had not really known what to expect once the lid of the Soul-box closed. Any Tamayo who went in a Soul-Box never came out again; So they were only taught how to make one, not what would happen after.

Despite this, Madison kinda thought being shut in the Soul-Box would be like going to sleep. A deep, dreamless, and peaceful sleep.

She was wrong.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	12. Darkness

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~

  
  


Chapter 12, Darkness:

When the Soul-Box shut Madison felt nothing, the nothing that is the absence of everything. Being cut off from her body and senses she had not expected to feel anything, and she didn't. But, she also hadn't expected to be self aware, and she was.

Madison was awake, aware, and trapped in endless darkness. There was no sense of time or space, no light or sound; Just a horrible emptiness, like something was missing. Something was wrong.

Very soon it began to seem as if this empty darkness had no beginning, and there would be no end. She would be in darkness forever; And she had always been there. She forgot she had a name, or even what a name was......

There was only the Darkness.

And then... Light. It was just a sliver, a crack, defining the edge of the darkness around her, giving it boundaries. It took her a few moments to affirm that yes, this was light, the opposite of Darkness. Then she had to remember what light was.

Next came the awareness that she was sitting on a hard surface, hugging her knees to her chest and shaking. And then the knowledge of what these were.

Then she heard a something, a sound coming from the direction of the Light.

~......ison, Madison?~

It was a voice, a familiar one.

~Madison?~ the Voice sounded a little strained, ~Madison, I can't get it open any farther! You'll have to help me!!~

Help? How?

~Try and open the Soul-Box from the inside~

Oh! The Soul-Box! Right, that's where she was, in a box. And boxes had lids.... Lids opened upward! She could do this. She unclenched her arms and slowly brought them up until her hands met a smooth, flat surface... The lid! She pushed upward, gently, and felt it move.

~Oh good!~ the Voice said, sounding relieved, ~Madison, you can hear me~

Yes, she could hear him. What came next?

~Okay, now that I have your attention, let's try teamwork. I'll pull and you push, as hard as you can, okay?~

Did he want an answer? She didn't think she could do that yet.

~I'll take that as a 'yes'~

Great!

~Here we go...~

She braced herself, and got ready to push again.

~On three!..... One..... Two..... Three! Go!~

She pushed upward with all her strength. And the lid moved, slowly, but it moved. When the gap grew to about four inches, the Voice told her to stop. She sensed movement outside the box, and then got her first look at the face that went with the 'voice'.

He was now level with the box, before his voice had come from above it. He was either kneeling or sitting, because now she could see his nose and eyes through the gap. It was a face she did not recognize, although she felt she should. The voice was familiar, why not the face?

~Madison, it's good to see you~ he said, softly, blinking golden eyes at her, ~Are you okay?~

She thought about this for a moment. She was no longer in the endless Darkness; And she had her name, Madison, back. She supposed that this could be considered 'okay', so she gave him a little nod.

~That's Great! I'll bet you'll feel even better when we get you out of there!~ She couldn't see his mouth, but thought he might be smiling. So, she tried a tired smile of her own.

~I thought so! Then, let's get you out, shall we?~ his eyes positively beamed at her, and he closed one in a wink. This caused her to give him a genuine smile, and another nod.

~Okay, here's the deal......~

She listened attentively as he explained that they could continue to open the box as they had been; But, that might take a lot of time. He then told her that time was short, though he didn't say why, so he had another way to open the box.

~Now, I don't know if you remember this, but you are the one who made this box.~

She had? Why? How? It was incomprehensible, why would she shut herself in a box? But, hard as it was for her to accept, the scenario rang true, and she believed him, so she nodded for him to go on.

~Since you made it~he went on, ~it follows that you should be able to take it apart again.~

That was logical. She nodded again.

~Now, I don't mean that you should take the whole box apart, just to get out of it. But, if you concentrate on the lid, you should be able to make it dissolve....~

Dissolve?

~....... Go away~ he clarified at the confused look on her face, ~And then, you're out!~

It sounded simple enough. Madison nodded one last time, to let him know that she would try it. Then she lifted her arms, from where they had fallen on her knees while she talked to the Voice, and placed her hands flat against the inside top of the box once more.

~You can do this, Madison!~ the Voice backed away to give her some room.

Madison closed her eyes to focus. She wanted out; She want the Soul-Box to let her go. Madison wanted it Gone.

And it was.

The suddenness of it's disappearance overbalanced her, and she tumbled to the floor. Which was hard, cold, and (she noticed as she pushed herself back into a sitting position) resembled white marble, veined with eddies of a pale purple, like smoke.

She looked around. The Soul-Box was completely gone, like it had never been there. There were a few columns, made in a Grecian style of the same marble that was the floor. Traces of lavender mist danced around the marble columns, so she could not see far into the surrounding area. But, something told her that she did not want to; Whatever was beyond the mist was not pretty.

Her gaze came to rest on the only thing that did not match the landscape; A pair of legs. Above the bare, lightly tanned, feet, the legs were clad in soft leather, of a creamy butter-yellow color. Her eyes traveled up these legs, which a small corner of her mind informed her were 'Nice'; to a tunic of the same material that hit around mid-thigh. The loose tunic was open at the throat, and slit along the arms, revealing a tighter shirt underneath, that was a slightly darker yellow color.

His hair, which fell around broad (if adolescent) shoulders, could only be described as 'golden', but had some tawny highlights mixed in. It hung around his face and shoulders in many different lengths, like a lion's mane. The hair style looked a bit ragged, but on him, it worked; And, that same corner of her mind, whispered that it was 'gorgeous'.

But she didn't need that small corner to tell her that his face, with those golden eyes and thick blond lashes, was simply beautiful. She supposed that, since this was a man, he should probably be described as 'handsome'; But his features were too ethereal for that. No, 'beautiful' was definitely the word. He was, in fact, so exquisite, that she could have sat there and stared at him forever. But then, he spoke:

~Madison? Are you okay?~

He looked worried. She didn't want him to ever be worried about anything, so she quickly nodded that she was alright.

~Good~

He was now smiling, that was better.

~And: 'Great job' with the Soul-Box! You did it!~ his smile took on a more serious tone as he held out a hand to help her up, ~I'm glad, we almost lost you.~

She took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. When she got there she noticed two things; One, he was only a little taller than she; And two, he was crying. Her brows drew together in confusion. She didn't want him to cry.

~What?~ he asked at her expression.

In answer she lifted her right hand, the left was still holding his hand, and wiped one of the tears away.

~Oh, that. It's okay, I was just really worried about you; We all were. And, it's such a relief to have you back.~

She nodded, and decided to try saying something, ~Who?~

~Who am I?~ he asked.

She nodded.

~Well, I guess you wouldn't recognize me in this form.......~

He smiled at her, she smiled back.

~I'm Kero.~

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	13. Light

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Yes, Kero and Madison are in Madison's head- That's where the Soul-Box is, remember? Also, you guys remember that series of stories I was going to write? The one that takes place between 'What the Cards Were For?' and 'Sakura's Peace?' Well, I posted the first one awhile ago, and hardly anyone's read it *sniff* Go check it out, it's really funny! ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~

  
  


Chapter 13, Light:

~K-Kero?~ Madison stammered, confused. The name, like the voice, was familiar to her; However, both made her think of something...... Smaller? Cuddly?....... Or, Wait! Was it Bigger? And Breaths Fire?....... And, didn't he fly?

~I haven't always looked like this~ he explained, his smile turning slightly playful, ~Before you knew me in two forms. One,~ he held up one finger, ~Was a.... Well, 'stuffed animal' is probably the best description for it; And two~ another finger went up, ~A flying, fire breathing, lion.~

Hmm. Actually made sense. She could see his other forms in her memories as he described them. But, something told her that he'd only had two forms. So what had happened? Mad wanted to ask him, but she didn't think she could handle that many words yet, so she settled for:

~How?~

~Well, you were trapped in the Soul-Box~

She winced.

~Hey, it's okay,~ he took her other hand, so that both were now trapped in a warm embrace, ~We got you out! That was the point; Why I have this form, I mean. You see, no one who did not have your brain pattern could open the box again.~

~I know~ she told him softly. Things were starting to come back, faster, and faster as she talked to him. ~How?~

~It seems, although I didn't remember it until you were in danger, that Clow gave me another change option; I could take on a permanent form by copying the brain waves of an animal, or a human.~

He stopped then and waited. He knew she could figure it out, and he thought it might be better that way....... He hadn't exactly had her permission to duplicate her cerebral pattern. So, Kero just watched her as she thought. He had never realized, for some strange reason, just how beautiful Madison was; Her nose did this cute little scrunch thing when she was thinking hard, like now. And her hands in his were soft, he couldn't seem to let them go. He decided that he just didn't want to, and threaded their fingers together; Smiling when she did the same.

He knew the exact moment when she solved it, like he'd thought, it hadn't taken her very long. She blinked at him, and her eyebrows drew together, ~Me?~

~Yes~ he nodded, ~I copied your pattern and became human. This is how I'll stay now, it's my only form.~

She looked sad. He'd given up his two forms for her!

~It's okay,~ he assured her, quickly, ~I would have done anything to get you back safely; You're a friend. Besides,~ he swung their joined hands between them, and smiled, ~Now that I'm human, it will be easier to do some things. Like, open bags of cookies, turn doorknobs, and play video games.~

She smiled with him.

~Now,~ he said, more seriously, ~Let's get out of here, everyone is worried about you.~

She wanted to leave; Wanted to go reassure these people, which she fuzzily recalled, that she was okay; Wanted to breath fresh air and forget the darkness inside the Soul-Box. But she couldn't, not yet. She had some things to do first. So, she shook her head that no, she couldn't leave yet.

~Why?~

She tried to remember. It had to do with why she had been in the Soul-Box. Someone, or thing, had forced her into taking such a drastic measure, but who? She couldn't remember the name, but she remembered the type;

~Demon..~

~Oh, Alise?~

That was it! She nodded.

~She left. Yue, if you can believe it, scared her off.....~

She drew her eyebrows together. When she thought of 'Yue' she got an image of a very handsome man (although she decided that Kero was cuter) with wings and long white hair. She knew he was a warrior, but not strong enough to scare what had compelled her into building the Soul-Box.

~It was kinda funny~ Kero explained, ~She managed to cut off some of his hair during the battle.....~

Madison freed her left hand from Kero's right, and brought it up to her mouth as she gasped. One of the descriptive elements that had come to mind when she remembered Yue was; 'Don't touch the Hair'. Yue must have freaked!

Kero laughed at her expression, ~Exactly~ he agreed with her astonishment, ~Yue freaked. He blasted her with the biggest fire-arrow I have ever seen! She ran off, a little singed, with the mandatory 'this isn't over' speech.~

Madison giggled, Kero smiled, ~So it's safe out there, for now.~

Madison shook her head again, that wasn't the reason she couldn't leave yet.

~Then why?~

~Alise~ she tried to find the right word, ~...... Damage~

Kero remembered the bleak and blackened landscape that he'd walked through to get to this small, marble, oasis, ~Alise damaged your mind?~

Mad nodded, then looked expectant, waiting for him to follow the thought.

~And..... You need to stay and fix it?~ he guessed.

Madison nodded in the affirmative.

~Okay! I'll help you, that way we'll be done faster, and can get out of here.~

Mad wondered how he could help her, then remembered what he'd said about copying her brain pattern. This was almost his mind as well, he should be able to use her mind-power while he was here. She nodded.

~Great!~ Kero let go of her other hand and held his arm out to her, crooked at the elbow, ~Shall we, My Lady?~

She giggled again, and linked arms with him, ~Yes~

  
  


Waiting:

The Avalon livingroom was silent. Everyone sat and watched the pair on the sofa, unable to look away. Of all the odd things Sakura had witnessed over the last few years, this had to be the strangest. And she wouldn't have believed it if the evidence wasn't right before her eyes.

Kero was human.

He sat there, on the couch beside Madison, in a deep trance, holding one of her hands. A few moments after he'd 'gone in' Madison's vacant eyes had closed, and then.... Nothing. It had been over thirty minutes already. Kent had insisted that they all treat their wounds (he'd wanted to take Sakura to the hospital, to get her ankle looked at, but she wouldn't leave her friend) and get something to eat. Which they had done in shifts, so that someone was always in the livingroom, in case there was a change.

Now they were all cleaned up, fed, and back in the livingroom. Still no change. Kero had told them it might take awhile; But, how long was 'awhile' really? One hour? Two? Sakura didn't know how much longer she could take it. She sat beside Syaoran on the love seat again, her injured ankle elevated on his lap, and wished she could pace. It might have helped relieve some of the nervous energy bottled up inside her.

"Argh!" she hit the arm of the love seat with one fist, "It's taking too long! What if he can't get the Soul-Box opened?"

"Well, we know the brain pattern thing worked, right?" Touya pointed out, "I mean, he did turn human, so the Soul-Box thing should work too."

Sigh. "I guess," Sakura agreed, reluctantly; She didn't like to agree with her brother about anything, but he was right.

The first step of Kero's plan had worked; Kero had traded in his two forms for a human one with shocking ease. It had happened so quickly. One moment Kero had been floating in front of Madison, holding one paw to her forehead. Then there was a blinding flash of light, that faded to reveal Kero's new, permanent, form, standing in front of Madison, the fingers of one hand still lightly touching her brow.

It had been amazing. Yue was still quite shocked; He had been convinced that their present two forms were the only ones afforded to the magical beasts. If Kero was a magical beast anymore, he certainly did not seem so. Yukito, Yue's 'human' form, didn't seem half as real as Kero's current one. Even his clothes seemed to be more rooted in reality. When Yue took on his 'original' form, his clothes were......... Well, 'ornate' might be the kindest term.

In any case, Yue had been surprised. They all had; Except for Kero. The Guardian of the Sun had appeared strangely unfazed by his new form. At home in his new environment and ready to make his attempt at saving Madison.

And now they were waiting, and it was driving Sakura bonkers. How much longer? When would something.........

The phone rang, and Touya went into the kitchen to get it.

......... happen?

The rest of them stayed in the livingroom, and soon Touya was back, sticking his head around the doorway;

"Um...... Sakura?"

"What?" Was the phone for her, "Who is it?"

"Madison's Mother...."

To Be Continued ^_^


	14. She's What!

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Okay, I've hit a major road block with this story, so I probably won't be updating it for quite awhile. The good news is that I have a couple chapters for two other stories (a Sailor Moon one, and a Digimon one) already done and have started to post them. You can read those while you're waiting ^_^

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~

  
  


Chapter 14, She's What!?!:

"Madison's Mother!!" Sakura squeaked. Madison's Mother, a fashion designer, was currently in Australia at a photo shoot. Why was she calling here?

"Yes, she's asking if Madison is here," Touya looked nervously over to the couch, "What should I tell her?"

After some panicked thought, Sakura calmed down and decided she needed to talk to Madison's mother personally. She was also a Tamayo, after all, and she might need to know what was going on. Sakura gestured for Touya to give her the phone; "Hello?"

"Sakura? Is Madison there?"

"Ummm..."

"I tried calling the house and no one answered. Something..... Happened, and I really need to talk to her. Is she there?" she asked again.

"Ummmm...." Sakura truly didn't know what to say. Should she lie? Or tell her everything that was going on? She looked around to room for help, but no one else seemed to know what to do. She just wished Kero was 'back'; He'd seemed to know exactly what to do in this entire situation.

Sakura looked toward the couch, toward Kero and Madison. She wasn't really expecting a change, there had not, after all, been any change in almost an hour now; Why should this time be any different?

But it was.

This time, when Sakura's eyes turned to the sofa, and it's occupants, she met Kero's strange, new, golden gaze. He was awake.

Well.... Kinda awake, anyway. He didn't say anything, or move anything but his eyes, and a slight movement of his head as he nodded to Sakura, then closed his eyes and went deep into his trance again.

Sakura blinked. That had been strange. It took her a full minute to bend her mind around it; Kero had indicated, with his single nod, that it was okay, even necessary, to tell Madison's Mother everything that had happened. Or, at least, everything pertaining to Madison; Sakura wasn't going to sit here and tell the other Tamayo All-About-Clow.

"Sakura?!.... Sakura!? Are you there?"

"Yes," she answered, "Yes, I'm here, and so is Madison.........."

"Oh, good; Can I talk to her?"

"Um, no."

"No? Why?"

"Well, you see.... It's like this..... Ummm ShesinaSoulBox"

"She's What?!?"

  
  


Damage Control:

Madison's mind, to Kero, seemed remarkably well organized. Not that he'd been in that many minds- But he'd never come across anyone who was so objective about their *own* mind. Madison could control and shape everything within it; To her, this was just another familiar environment, and she was at home here.

This was a very good thing, considering the mess Alise had left behind. Many of the columns, which had been arranged in the form of a rough octagon in the very center of Mad's mind, were toppled over, their segments scattered and crumbling. The rest of the landscape looked like it had been through a fire and an earthquake- In that order. Deep cracks scarred the once pristine marble, which was blackened until it's original white-purple color could no longer be seen.

It was quite a disheartening sight, but Madison hardly winced at it. Instead she took a firm hold of Kero's hand, then got to work. Kero found it easier to steady her, and feed her power, than to help directly; He wasn't used to this type of magic.

He wasn't really used to his own type of magic right now. For he still had power, even if he'd lost both his original forms. If fact, if he was assessing the situation correctly, he had more power now than he had before; He just wasn't accustomed to it's use yet. But he would be. Clow had spent many years training him in magic that had seemed to him, at the time, to be useless for his talents. Now everything made sense... Mostly.

Anyway, he supported Madison while she repaired the damage; Silently convincing the flattened columns that they really wanted to be back together again; The cracks that they wanted to close; And the floor that it really didn't want to be blackened by fire. They fixed the columns first, then moved onto the rest, working in a widening spiral. Once the columns were up again, Kero saw what a defensible position it was and had no doubt that, if she'd had enough warning, Madison could have easily held off Alise for an indefinite period of time.

They were about half way done when it happened. Kero had been monitoring the 'outside' subconsciously, listening (but not really), to Ken urge the others to 'eat something' and 'stop crying about your hair, it will grow back'. None of this caught his notice until Touya announced that Madison's Mother was on the phone.

Uh-oh...

~Madison?~ he waited patiently until he had her attention. He didn't want to distract her at a crucial moment, ~Your Mother just called...~

Mad's eyebrows drew together. She knew there wasn't a phone in here. Besides, she hadn't heard one ring.

~Outside~

Oh. That explained it.

~She want's to talk to you~

Madison shook her head a little and gestured, expressively, to the remaining work she had to finish.

~I know, but what should they tell her?~

Madison thought deeply on this. Her vague memories of her mother were warm and caring; she didn't want to cause this person worry. But, Madison was a Tamayo (she *definitely* knew what that meant) so her mother should be a Tamayo too, right? If she was, she needed to be appraised of the entire situation. It was a Tamayo matter, after all.

~... Tam... ayo?~

~Is your mother a Tamayo?~ Kero guessed what she was asking.

She nodded.

~Yes. I would say she was. The title passes on from mother to daughter (or another female relative). You and your mother are the only two girls, in your family, that I'm aware of.~

Well, that was that, ~Tamayo~ Madison made an effort, and managed to say the one word firmly; Clearly conveying her meaning.

~Okay then, I'll tell them~ he gave her hand a squeeze, and let it go, ~Be right back...~

Then he was gone.

Madison looked around in despair; She hadn't known he was leaving. She supposed it was logical, he couldn't very well talk to those outside if he wasn't outside... Or, mostly outside.. The point was he couldn't do it from in here, so she should have been expecting it, but she hadn't been.

And now she was alone.

She didn't know when Kero would be back. He had said 'right back'; But what did that really mean, anyway?

She was alone.

It felt like the walls of the Soul-Box were coming back into existence around her, the lid was closing; She would be trapped in the darkness again.

All alone.

Madison looked around frantically. She knew the box wasn't there, she couldn't see it. But it felt like it was. She dropped to the floor and threw her arms up over her head, trying to push the feeling away.

Alone.

No... No, she wasn't alone. Kero had said he was coming back. He was coming, she just had to wait. He would come, and save her from herself again. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut against a world that had started to spin dizzily. Tears spilled from them and rolled down her cheeks.

He would come; He was coming.

She curled tighter into her ball, and told herself this, over and over again;

Kero would come, and she wouldn't be alone anymore... Ever.

She'd make sure of it.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	15. Calm

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Author's Notes: Okay, I don't know what Madison's Mother's name is in the dub or the Anime. I've decided to call her Helen. Why?... Just because. Deal with it.

  
  


Thanks for the Reviews!! ^_~

  
  


Chapter 15, Calm:

"She's What?!?" Helen yelled. She heard Sakura squeak in response.

~Need to calm down~ she told herself, breathing deeply and trying to remember the meditative techniques her mother had taught her.

She was calm... She Was.

"Sakura?"

"Yes?" the young girl's voice was still timid.

"Could you repeat that last part?... Slowly?"

She was Calm.

"Um... Mad's in a Soul-Box?"

"WHAT?!? My baby? My little girl? In a Soul-Box?!?"

Maybe not so Calm. Helen paced back and forth between the bed and the door in her hotel room. She put one perfectly manicured hand over her eyes and tried to convince herself not to cry.

Would she ever see her daughter again?

"Hey... It's okay," Sakura's voice broke into her melancholy thoughts.

"How can it be okay?" she gasped. She was starting to hyperventilate, "My daughter is in a Soul-Box!!"

"Well, I don't think she's in there *anymore*; She just *was* in one."

"Was?"

"Yes... Um, I think so.. Syaoran? You can?... Okay: Yes, she's not in the Soul-Box anymore. Syaoran can see her aura again."

Helen's knees gave out in relief and she sank to the plush carpet. She took a few deep breaths and regained her calm. Her baby was okay... She had an aura.

She was calm.

The shock of hearing her daughter's name in the same sentence as 'Soul-Box' was wearing off, which allowed her to focus on the rest of the conversation...

"Wait a minute! *Who* can see her aura?"

"Um.. Syaoran? He's a friend."

"How did he see her aura?"

"He's a sorcerer..."

"What's his family name?" Helen demanded; Was this 'Syaoran' the one who'd forced Madison to build a Soul-Box?

"Li"

"Li? Well, that's alright then" The Li clan were respected white magic users.

But that still left other questions:

"How do *you* know about this stuff? Did Madison tell you?" She hoped not. Madison had taken a binding oath to not reveal her powers to anyone until she was an active Tamayo herself.

"No, she didn't tell us. I... Uhh, already knew about magic. And some of our friends knew about the Tamayo thing- Madison was in the Box at the time."

'Madison was in the Box at the time' the phrase repeated over in Helen's mind. She shakily got to her feet and walk the few steps to the bed, where she sat down again.

"But... She *is* out of the Soul-Box now?" She needed to hear it again.

"Yes. Definitely."

"How?" It was unheard of. How could anyone (or anything) get a Tamayo out of a Soul-Box once the lid was closed? She knew it hadn't been a faulty Box; Madison excelled at Soul-Box construction.

"Well, Kero--"

"Kero?"

"Another friend... Kerberos?"

"The Guardian of the Seal?"

"Umm... Well, he used to be..."

"'Used to be'?"

"Yes. There isn't.. Umm, a Seal anymore."

"What?!? Did the Cards get out?"

"Yes... But... Ummm, I caught them again."

"*You* Caught them? You, my daughter's best friend, Sakura Avalon, are the Card Captor?"

"Yes."

"When did all this happen?" There had been Clow Cards loose in Tokyo and the resident Tamayo hadn't noticed?

"A few years ago."

"Really?" Helen replied weakly, putting her head down on her knees.

"Yes."

"And.. The Judgment?" Helen closed her eyes. She WAS calm, so the room should really stop spinning now, right?

"I passed it."

"Oh. Okay, then." No Clow Cards on the loose... That was good.

What had they been talking about? The Soul-Box!

"What does Kerberos have to do with Madison's Soul-Box?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain; But, basically, he copied her brain pattern so he could open the Soul-Box"

"Oh," *blink* "that would work."

Helen took a moment to digest this information, then moved on;

"Sakura? Do you know *why* my daughter was in a Soul-Box?"

"We don't know for sure, we haven't talked to her yet, but Kero said she most likely did it to get away from Alise."

"Alise? Who's that?"

"She said she was Madison's cousin."

"But.. I... That isn't--"

"We know, no cousins. She was a demon or something."

Helen's mind flashed back to a half hour before when the crazy-demon little girl had tried to get past her defenses, "Let me guess; she bore a freaky resemblance to Pollyanna?"

"Yes... D-Did you see her?"

"Yes. She tried to attack me about forty minutes ago. Luckily I always travel with full defenses."

Helen heard Sakura talking to others in the background, then; "Do you know where she went after that?"

"No. That's why I was calling Madison, to warn her. Since she wasn't able to get any energy from me, she might head back there. Are you guys safe there?"

"Yes. Kero helped me put permanent shields on the house a few months ago."

"Um... Excuse me... Did you say 'permanent' shields?"

"Yes?"

"But, how?" Shields like that would take *a lot* of power. Permanent shields on a stationary building, where the spell-caster wasn't always present? Impossible.

"Um, well it's set up so it siphons a little power from me whenever I'm in the house, and stores it to run the shield when I'm not here."

Well, theoretically, that should work; But the power of the person who cast the spell would have to be phenomenal. And Sakura had said that it only siphoned off 'a little' of her power... A 'little'?

"What are you?" Why would a 17 year old have that much power?

A shocked silence loomed on the other side of the phone until Helen realized what she'd just said, "Oh, Sakura! I didn't mean it that way, honey! You're like another daughter to me; You know that, right?"

"I know," was the soft answer.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so worried about Madison! I didn't realize what I was saying."

"I know... It's okay, I'm worried about Madison too."

"Well, you said she's alright, and that you guys are safe there- I trust you, I do."

"Thank you."

Helen put her hand over her eyes again, and didn't even try to stop the tears this time. She'd hurt Sakura, whom she had watched grow-up from a little girl to her daughter's best friend. Sakura had said it was okay, but Helen knew she'd hurt her. It wretched her heart to hear Sakura thank her for being trusted.

What had she done?

"I am sorry, Sakura... Forgive me?"

"Of course! It's really okay... I ask myself the same question, sometimes... "

Oh, Sakura! ~You poor thing!!~

"... And I don't even know the answer..."

"You *are* a wonderful person, Sakura. Don't ever doubt it."

"I'll try not to."

"Good... I'm going to charter a plane, and I'll come straight there as soon as I reach Tokyo, okay? We'll talk then."

"Okay, see you then."

"Goodbye, Sakura."

"Bye."

Helen pushed the disconnect button with her thumb and dropped the phone to the bed beside her. Then she buried her head in both of her hands and took a shuddering breath.

She'd called to make sure her daughter was alright; And ended up insulting one of the kindest people she knew... So much for staying calm.

  
  


Back Again:

From Kero's point-of-view the time it took to come out of his trance, nod to Sakura, and go back into Mad's mind again, was very short. This was not so for Madison, as he saw when, with a blink, the world of a Tamayo's mind came into focus around him. She was huddled on the ground, in a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible.

~Madison?~ Kero was concerned, he got to his knees beside her and touched her shoulder, gently, ~Madison? What's wrong?~

She didn't answer him at first, so Kero gave her shoulder a little shake as he tried again; ~Mad?~

~K-Kero?~

~Yes, it's me~ he brushed the hair from her face and the tears from under her eyes, ~What's wrong?~

~Alone~

Kero felt a pang of guilt; He shouldn't have left her. She had seemed fine, like she was doing better... And now she was almost as bad as when she'd first come out of the Soul-Box.

He shouldn't have left her, ~I'm so sorry Madison~ he put one arm around her and moved so that she was leaning into his side, ~I didn't mean to leave you alone~

~I kn-know...~ she buried her tear-stained face in his neck and grabbed hand fulls of his shirt, holding on tight, ~H-Had to...~

She was right, he'd needed to go; Having the active Tamayo out of the loop in a situation such as this could be disastrous. But that didn't mean he had to like it; And it did not stop his feelings of guilt either, ~I'm still sorry~

He lifted her chin up, so he could look into her eyes, ~And, if I have any choice in the matter,~ he assured her, ~I'll never leave you alone again~

~Thank you~

It was only a whisper, but it was the clearest thing he'd heard her say. The little smile she gave him was so brave, even if one corner of her mouth trembled slightly, and the look in her brown eyes was so trusting; That he didn't even try to stop what happened next. He didn't think, only felt, as he leaned forward, pausing for her to meet him halfway... And kissed her.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^


	16. Mad

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

  
  


Author's Notes: I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter, I liked it too :)... Except for what Helen said, that came as a complete surprise- It took me like a page to fix it; and I'm still mad at her! But I guess that's just kinda how I see Madison's mother, she's really mean in the comic books. 

  
  


And, as for Kero and Madison, it's not that strange people! He *is* human now, remember?

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

  
  


Chapter 16, Mad:

Li Syaoran was mad. Really Mad.

It had been a long time since he'd felt this much anger. He wanted to yell; Possibly scream some curses; Break things; And blow something (someone) up, and then stomp on the ity bity pieces... But he did not. He was a trained warrior, he could control his emotions.

All the same, it was probably a good thing Helen was in Australia.

The phone conversation had seemed to be going okay. He couldn't hear Helen's side of the call but could tell from Sakura's expressions and responses that everything was moving along at a nice clip... Then Sakura gave a little gasp of shock, and all the blood drained from her face. He'd tried to ask her what was wrong, but all her attention was on the phone as she told Helen it was alright; That she sometimes 'asked herself the same question'. What question? It took Syaoran and Kent a good twenty minutes, after Sakura hung-up the phone, to get her to tell them what had upset her. She'd even tried to defend Helen, but Syaoran wasn't buying it.

How could Madison's mother have said something like that to Sakura? He didn't care how many shocks she'd had (like that fact that her daughter had been in a Soul-box, even if she wasn't anymore; and that her daughter had been hanging out with magically inclined people for years, without her knowledge; the Clow Cards had escaped and been caught again- By Sakura Avalon; and Kerberos the *former* Guardian-Beast-of-the-Seal was tinkering with Madison's brain waves) none of it gave her the right to upset his Cherry Blossom.

Nothing did.

If Helen was here right now, Syaoran doubted he'd be able to control himself; and he wasn't the only one. Kent, Touya, and Yue were all contributing to the aura of barely suppressed fury shrouding the room. They all knew Sakura had problems accepting that she was different, even if it was in a good way. (She was so powerful that they all would have been a little worried if she *had* accepted it easily.) But she had been making progress, becoming more secure in the knowledge of her innate magic, and the supporting love of her family and friends.

It had finally come to the point where Syaoran could no longer see the self-fear hiding behind Sakura's eyes, the worry and insecurity had been tempered and put to rest... Until Helen had brought it back... And Syaoran would never forgive her for it.

"Oh, just shut up! Both of you!" Sakura finally yelled at her father and boyfriend, "and you too," she glared at her brother when he looked like he wanted to add his two cents, "Just drop it! I, and I do mean *I* Not *You*, will talk to Helen when she gets here. Everyone says things when they are angry, or upset, that they don't mean. It's a human fallacy, no one is perfect! Just. Drop. It."

Sakura gave them this indignant lecture from her reclined position on the couch (she still had her injured ankle on Syaoran's lap) but that didn't take away the authoritive tone, or meaning, in her words. They all backed down, accepting that there was nothing they could do to Helen... Directly.

"Now," Sakura continued, after glaring at them all, individually, "someone help me to the bathroom, I've been sitting here for *hours*"

Syaoran dutifully got to his feet, and after helping Sakura to stand with gentle care, aided her in limping down the hall. Once she was in the bathroom, however, and the wooden door was shut between them, Syaoran heard Sakura start to cry.

It was a soft sound, but he recognized it; His heart pinching painfully at the haunting familiarity of it. Syaoran barely stopped himself from punching the wall (or maybe kicking it) in a futile attempt to release his anger.

How could he just let this go? His Cherry Blossom was *crying*!! He had to do something, but what? In desperation his mind latched onto something he'd heard Yue say a few days before, about a practical joke he wanted to try, but couldn't because none of his friends ever traveled...

Syaoran went back into the livingroom to find Yue; Five minutes later it was done. Syaoran walked back to the bathroom door to wait for Sakura to emerge, a little lighter on his feet. It hadn't been everything he wanted (or Kent, Touya, and Yue had wanted) but it was all they were going to get. And they had all agreed it was justified, if a little petty...

Helen would never see her luggage again.

  
  


Destiny:

Sometimes, when someone is kissed by just the right person, their world will suddenly take on a dreamy haze; Devolving into a place where circumstances, surroundings, even thoughts, do not matter. Pure feelings are all that count; and all senses are locked on that other individual who's lips are touching yours.

This did not happen to Madison.

Instead, her world took on a sharper clarity, a crystal solidity that brought everything into shining focus. She could almost hear the chime of a key, fitting into it's lock; The soft snick of the final puzzle piece snapping into place... And she knew. 

This was the One.

*He* was The One.

This was Real;

This was Right;

This was Destiny. 

She belonged here, in Kero's arms.

And then, as if it had been waiting patiently for her to come to that very conclusion, her mind switched off; allowing her to sink into that special, dreamy, haze- She curled her arms around Kero's neck and surrendered to it.

This was... Very Nice.

  
  


**

Kero was shocked. First at his actions; he could not believe he was kissing Madison, even if it felt natural. Second at the fact that he was kissing anyone at *all*. He had not been human very long, like three hours, tops; and had never even considered kissing in relation to himself. He supposed it would have come up eventually, he was completely human, if still magical, and would be this way forever... But he had never thought, or felt this way before.

It was strange.

In a good way.

Not that he was really thinking much at the moment, about anything but Madison. As unexpected as the situation might be, he could feel that distinct impression that he had come to recognize meant 'Destiny'. He'd felt it when Sakura had opened the Book of Clow; and the first time she'd used the sealing wand; and he felt it now, with Madison, stronger than he ever had before...

Definitely Destiny.

And he didn't mind at all.

  
  


To Be Continued ^_^

  
  


Author's Notes #2: Sorry this last scene is short, I don't write mush very well :) Say, do you guys want another story in the 'Between' series? I keep thinking about Kero and Yue, and practical jokes...


	17. Watch

"Sakura's Peace"

A Card Captor Fanfiction

By: Bekah-chan

Rated: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captors or the characters therein.

Author's Notes:

Lightblossom (In response to a review you left a long time ago); I just decided to call her 'Helen' (like I decided to call Sakura's father 'Kent'). I read the English translated Card Captor Sakura manga; and in one edition (the one with the Flower Card) Madison's mother struck me as a not very happy, not very nice person. She was also kinda freaky obsessed with Sakura's mother, but never mind. Anyway, if you have anymore questions, go back and check my 'Author's Notes' on previous chapters... Most of the questions you asked this time have answers there :)

Oh, and you guys do know that Touya and Yue/Yukito are... Umm *cough*FRIENDS*cough* right? *whispers* _They__ like each other in_ that_ way._ Don't worry though, there won't be anything icky in any of my fics, I just make fluffy couple jokes about the Touya/Yukito thing ^_~

THANKS for the Reviews!! Sorry it took so long :)

Chapter 17, Watch:

            Finally, around midnight, Kent decided that everyone should get some sleep. Syaoran cut off Sakura's objection, by suggesting that they take turns standing watch, in case something happened, like Madison and/or Kero coming out of their trance. Sakura fell asleep herself, while everyone decided who would take 'first watch', and the only other person who had magic defenses (and offences) at their disposal (who was not still emotionally distraught from the, tragic, involuntary, cutting off of their hair) was Syaoran.

            The Li Clan Warrior was the natural choice for the first shift, and he would waken Yue, now Yukito again, to take over, about an hour before dawn.

            Kent gently lifted Sakura, who had fallen asleep with her head on Syaoran's lap and her injured ankle propped on the opposite arm of the love-seat, and carried her up the stairs to tuck her into her own bed. Touya, yawning, soon followed, retiring to his own room. Kent, after softly closing Sakura's door, was making a return trip down the stairs, when he caught Yukito (who, in his human form, did not have the victimized hairstyle) trying to sneak up to Touya's room.

            Kent turned him around, and sternly marched him back down the stairs, directing him to the downstairs guestroom. But, from there, Sakura's father did not return to his own room for the night. Instead Kent made a slight detour to collect a First-Aid kit, before returning to the livingroom, and a surprised Syaoran.

            "Don't you need to sleep too?" the younger man asked.

            "Yes, but I thought we should take care of your leg first."

            It took Syaoran a moment to realize what he meant. The Warrior had been so concerned about his Cherry Blossom, and everyone else, that he had forgotten his own injury. The nefarious fowl, and subsequent bite, seemed weeks ago, not hours; And he had been subconsciously suppressing the pain in order to concentrate on other things. He remembered it now, however, and the knowledge brought the physical sensation back as well.

            "Oh, yeah," he winced, "I'd forgotten about that."

            "I thought so." Kent smiled a little. He was pretty sure he knew why the injury had been 'forgotten', and he respected to younger man for it. But they had a moment of peace now, and this was the time for such things to be taken care of, "Let's take a look."

            Twenty minutes later, Syaoran, with his leg cleaned and bandaged, was alone in the livingroom. Well, not *exactly* alone, if you counted the two still sitting on the sofa, which Syaoran wasn't sure that he did. They hadn't moved since Kero had opened his eyes to give Sakura that brief message. Not that they weren't _physically_ there, after all he could see them (sitting side-by-side on the sofa, holding hands) but they weren't there _mentally_ and... Wait...

            Holding *hands*!?! When had *that* happened?

            Syaoran tried, as he gazed at their linked hands resting on the cushions between them, to remember if Kero hand been holding Madison's hand back when he'd first gone into the trance (or even after he'd awoken briefly) ... but he really didn't think there had been any hand-holding on either occasion.

            Syaoran was tired, he was injured, and (even discounting the general horror and suspense) this had _*not_* been the best day of his life... But Syaoran was a warrior, had been trained as such for nearly a decade before he even came to Japan -not to mention his battle experience since then- and he rarely missed anything. His subconscious automatically took note of everything in his surroundings; like where the exits were (if he was inside, where he, or anyone with him, could escape if things got ugly); where any people in a room, or vicinity, were; and the location of everything that could be used as a weapon (either for him or against him) as well as any obstacles in his way.

            So he had, naturally, been cataloging everything that had happened in that room for the last six hours, or so. And Kero has not been holding hands with Mad, as little as ten minutes ago. It was a new development, meaning that the situation had changed... Did this mean they were waking up?

            If it did, it was not going to happen quickly, Syaoran decided after watching them for 40 minutes without any additional change.

            Ten minutes after that, Kero's eyelids twitched, and blinked open. An action which Madison copied with uncanny synchronization. Then they both turned their heads toward one another, smiled identical smiles, and moved their double stare to Syaoran.

            It was kinda freaky, actually.

            When their gazes focused on him, however, the first independent action occurred... Madison's eyebrows drew together and she frowned in confusion, glancing a question at Kero.

            "This is Li Syaoran," Kero told her in response, "He is a friend, also a competent sorcerer and warrior."

            Syaoran blinked. _Had Kero just given him a complement?_

            Mad nodded in reply to Kero and turned her purple eyes back to Syaoran, a shy smile of greeting on her face.

            Syaoran said the first thing that came to his mind;

            "Umm... Hi?"

To Be Continued ^_^


End file.
